Ain't Like I Planned
by Enkida
Summary: Five years after Meteor, Cid finds that some dreams are harder to chase down that he thought. One troubled relationship, one unwanted vacation and one nosy teenager later, things start spinning out of control. CidxYuffie, COMPLETE
1. Livin' the Homelife

"**Ain't Like I Planned…"**

_Hey everyone, it seems like I just can't keep away from writing FFVII fanfiction. First off, this is not a YuffiexVincent romance. This is also not a CidxShera, even though their relationship plays a part in the story. The rating is mostly for Cid's swearing and appreciation of the fairer sex, which I didn't censor. I say "mostly" because there might be a little citrus later on, if I grow some guts. The story fits into both the AC and the game universe. The only big difference from AC is that Cid still flies the Highwind around. Special props to Zephie-chan for innocently needling this plot bunny until it grew into a pink elephant. _

_As usual, no profit is being made from this, and all things FFVII belong to Square-Enix._

**Chapter 1: Livin' the Homelife**

_Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!_

The whistling of the kettle gradually grew louder, until the quick patter of footsteps interrupted its violent whine abruptly. There was a faint sound of pouring water, and a few moments later Shera emerged from the kitchen, carefully balancing the heavily laden tray in her arms. Quietly, she set it on the table before seating herself in the adjoining chair.

Cid watched her from the corner of his eye, his feet still propped defiantly on the table, dangerously close to Shera's plate of scones. He scowled and chewed on his cigarette, watching the woman carefully. The scowl deepened as she took no notice of him, delicately picking up the pot of steaming tea and pouring it into his waiting cup. He shifted a little when she hesitated while holding a lump of sugar, and grunted once as she turned questioning eyes onto him. The quiet plip of the cube hitting the surface of the water seemed loud in comparison to the unnatural blanket of silence settling over the house.

With a polite smile, Shera leaned over, proffering the cup and saucer to Cid with steady hands. The smile never left her face as Cid lowered his feet onto the floor with a loud thud, leaving dirty black streaks across the pristine table. Deliberately, he removed the cigarette from his mouth and leaned forward. The half-chewed butt landed into the proffered cup with a hiss, and Cid raised one eyebrow expectantly. Shera remained frozen, the smile still on her face, before carefully pulling the teacup back towards herself and standing up. "I'll get you another," she said quietly as she shuffled her way back towards the kitchen.

Cid watched her intently until she disappeared behind the door and then let out a loud sigh, running a hand over his face. "Christ," he swore softly to himself. "What am I going to do with that woman?"

It had been five years since Cid returned to Rocket Town as a triumphant member of AVALANCHE. Despite the fanfare and celebrity that had greeted him then, the only thing Cid could concentrate on was returning to the peace of his own house and the woman waiting within it. He had been to more countries than he even knew existed, fulfilled his dream of reaching the stars, and even reversed it in a sense by travelling to the centre of the planet. Cid had seem the breadth and height of the world, and that was exactly what it had taken for him to realize that all he really wanted was the comfort of home. Back then, he had thought that he could find it in Shera's waiting arms. As usual, however, reality had decided to take a large bucket of cold water and thoroughly douse those dreams.

Shera emerged from the kitchen once more, holding a new cup. Repeating her previous ritual, she seated herself at the table and once again prepared the tea. This time Cid took it without any argument, a tired frown lining his features. _I'm exhausted just watchin' her,_ he grumbled to himself as he raised the cup to his lips.

It had been wonderful at first, or so Cid had thought. He had assumed that Shera was simply overwhelmed by the eager emotions bursting through his normally gruff demeanour. It wasn't as though he actually had very much practice trying to make other _people_ happy, let alone a woman. Slowly, however, the awkwardness began to emerge. Cid's fumbling attempts to confess his feelings were met with the same placid smiles as his bare-faced insults. At first it was simply a quirk, but it slowly grew into an increasingly large irritation for the pilot. He wanted to touch Shera, to make her feel the same passion and energy that she ignited within him. But she never reacted to his advances, whether they were gentle or rough. Always he was greeted with the same Cheshire smile, the same sweet devotion and silent understanding. It was maddening; he wanted her to scream at him, to burn with desire, to laugh without reservation, or even just to cuss him out. But it never happened; she was silently devoted to him, yes, but she never showed him anything more than quiet obedience.

Cid Highwind was tired of silence.

With a loud clatter he slammed the half-drunk cup onto the saucer and pushed himself away from the table. Shera watched him with wide eyes, her own cup poised halfway between the saucer and her lips. "Is something wrong with the tea?" she asked tremulously.

"There's nothing wrong with the fuckin' tea," Cid swore at her, grabbing for his jacket and storming towards the front door. "I need a drink," he added roughly, pausing for a moment to gauge Shera's reaction.

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes giving away nothing, and then tilted her head in affirmation with another sad half-smile. "I'll leave the door unlocked again tonight," she answered, and then sipped once more from her cup.

Cid's teeth clenched and he shut the door behind himself with a loud slam.

**.x.x.x.**

"Gimmie another," Cid growled as he fumbled for a cigarette. "Shit," he swore, his vision doubling as he tried to light the smoke with unsteady fingers. After a few more failed attempts, he gave up and crumpled the cigarette back into his jacket pocket.

"I think you've had enough," the bartender noted with a raised eyebrow as he dried off a mug. "Besides, don't you think Shera might be getting worried about you?" he added helpfully.

Cid snorted and cast a baleful stare into the empty mug before him. "Naw, she ain't," he said dully. "S'ain't like that. Ain't nothing like I planned it," he added sourly, even though the barkeep had already moved away. He continued muttering incoherently to himself even as he pushed his way out of the bar and into the empty, moonlit streets of Rocket Town. He paused to take in the giant scaffolding that jutted into the bright, moonlit sky. It was horribly old, rust flaking off of it everywhere and according to some of the townspeople quite an eyesore. It was largely due to Cid's influence that the contraption hadn't been torn down, left to stand instead as a landmark and quasi-memorial to AVALANCHE's efforts to save the planet despite its shoddy appearance. For Cid, however, it was one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Devoid of the tilted rocket from five years earlier, it was a constant reminder that he had succeeded with at least one of his dreams. _Not the most important one,_ he reminded himself angrily as his house came into view.

Unwilling to face the reality of his unsatisfying relationship with Shera, Cid veered off course and stumbled towards the huge scaffolding. Surrounding himself with reminders of his success always helped ease the sting of defeat. As he settled himself against the one of the steel supports, he wondered briefly what the other members of AVALANCHE were doing. "Probably all getting their fuckin' happy ends," he snarled to himself, his hand fisting unconsciously against the cold steel. He hiccupped and caught himself; that wasn't entirely true. The group still kept in loose contact with each other, though they had undoubtedly grown apart since their wild adventures together as a team. The unspoken cause was, as everyone knew, Cloud's behaviour after meteor struck. He withdrew from the group just as he withdrew from almost the rest of the world, and without his leadership, they had drifted apart. Cid had been mildly concerned for Tifa, who seemed to hang so much importance on her relationship with the reticent blonde.

"Naw… Tifa's doin' fine," he mumbled to himself, rubbing a weary hand through his hair. Even though the martial artist hadn't gotten her "happy end" with Cloud, she still seemed to be content with herself, living in Edge and helping out at the orphanage there. Tifa had discovered that her happiness lay, in the end, not with Cloud after all. And as for the cause of the trouble? He was still wandering the world, doing his best to pattern his new life after Valentine's – reclusive, quiet, guilt-ridden and sullen. After Aeris died, Cloud had just seemed to give up on life in general.

Cid blinked, memories of their green-eyed companion flitting through his thoughts. "Aeris. Now that was a real woman," he mumbled to himself, reaching for his cigarette once more and this time succeeding in lighting it. _Hell,_ he thought to himself sourly as he reflected on the past. _Everyone was in love with Aeris. No wonder the kid's turned into a goddamn recluse._ Even Cid himself hadn't been immune to the lovely, pure innocence exuded by the beautiful Cetra. When those gentle smiles would cross her face, she had reminded him so much of Shera—

"Fuck!" Cid swore, spitting out the cigarette and lowering his face into his hands. _Shera._ The cause of his currently inebriated state managed to burn away the pleasant effects of Cid's alcoholic buzz, leaving him only with a wobbly sense of nausea and a pounding headache.

Shera, the woman who loved him. Cid was sure of it, as confident of Shera's feelings for him as he was of his own piloting ability. "So why the hell can't she show it?" he swore out loud, pounding his fist against the scaffolding and then swearing loudly as the pain registered. He looked at the house, a pained grimace crossing his face. Shera was waiting there, his devoted little Shera, who still didn't even share the same bed with him after all their years of living together. It wasn't for lack of trying; the first time Cid had come to her, all thumbs and blushes like an inexperienced teenager, she had willingly taken him into her arms. But it had been anything but the paradise he was expecting. "Those goddamn radio ballads are full of shit," he swore with an ironic chuckle.

Their first and only time together had been punctuated by awkward silence and his fumbling fingers and constant apologies. He remembered it clearly, though not with a sense of pride or pleasure; he had been her first. Throughout the entire evening, she hadn't said a word, simply smiled at him with her soft, half-closed eyes, withdrawn within her shell as he moved above her. To say it had killed the mood would have been an understatement; Cid had felt like an intruder, an unwelcome visitor in her bed. And yet, when it was over, she had taken him into her arms and whispered soothing platitudes against his sweat-slick skin, reassuring him and letting him drift to sleep in her arms. The next morning when he woke, she had already risen to prepare breakfast. He had walked into the kitchen, wearing a stupid grin and not much else. The look on Shera's face as she saw him had stopped him more effectively than any splash of cold water could have. _And yet, she said nothing!_ Just a moment of surprised scrutiny, and then a gently voiced offer to fetch his pants from the bedroom. Since that morning, Cid hadn't dared venture near Shera's room, afraid of what he might do, and more afraid to find out what she wanted… or if she wanted it. If she wanted _him._

"Fuck me," Cid groaned as he stumbled towards the building, his stray thoughts betraying him as he felt warmth flush through his body. He flung open the door to the house almost violently, barely remembering to shut it behind him as he made his way towards his bedroom. He paused as he passed Shera's closed door, staring at it angrily. As much as he willed himself to ignore it, his self-recrimination was slowly fading in favour of the more pleasant memory of Shera's body against his, free of her usual loose clothing and baggy trench coats. He swore again and leaned his head against the door, struggling with his own desires and losing. Finally he looked up, a gleam in his eye as he reached for the doorknob. "Damn it, woman, a man has needs," he mumbled to himself as he slipped into the darkened room.

Shera's form made a small lump under the heavy quilts in her bed, and with a sense of anticipation, Cid roughly pulled away the sheets. To his disappointment, she was fully clothed in a nightgown that unfortunately left everything to the imagination. Moreover, she was sleeping soundly, something which irritated him for a wholly different reason.

_Why the hell isn't she worried about me stayin' out late?_ he wondered to himself as he reached blindly for the hem of her gown. "Hey babe," he said out loud, grabbing Shera's hip and shaking her not-so-gently. "Wake up," he growled, crawling on top of her and breathing heavily into her ear.

"Mmm… Cid?" Shera's eyes fluttered open and widened slightly as a blast of Cid's alcohol-laden breath assaulted her. "You've been drinking too much again," she said reprovingly, as though waking up in the middle of the night to find him pawing her was not unexpected or out of the ordinary. "Do you need help getting your boots off? You're getting the sheets dirty," she added softly as he scrabbled on the bed, trying to roll her over.

Cid, who at that point had been trailing his lips across her neck, sat up with a grunt and gave Shera a hard stare. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he growled suddenly, grabbing her arms and pulling her up forcibly into a seated position. "Here I am, horny as all hell, and the only thing you can ask about is my fucking _shoes?_" he swore at her, his blue eyes burning as he pushed his face against hers.

Shera's eyes clouded slightly, and she looked down. "I'm sorry," she murmured softly. "Please, don't let me stop you." Her gentle request had the opposite effect on the pilot, who leapt off of her as though he had been burned.

"H-hell," Cid swore, breathing heavily through his nose and trying to calm himself down. "How're we supposed to do anything when you're too busy acting like a goddamn kicked puppy, woman?" he growled at her, his glare sharpening from one of lust into one of anger.

"I'm sorry," Shera said again, more quietly. Then, carefully, she began to undo the drawstring on her nightgown, never once looking up.

To Cid, she had the look of a defeated woman. His hazy lust quickly vaporized in a cloud of regret and self-loathing. _What the fuck was I thinking? _Suddenly disgusted with himself, he moved to the bed, reaching out to stop her before she could pull the garment off of her body. He froze as she flinched under his outstretched hand, froze and felt something other than alcohol churning unpleasantly within his stomach. "The hell…?" he whispered hoarsely, his hand still outstretched.

Shera blinked, her hand still raised to her neck, and lifted her pale face to Cid's. Her eyes were large and glassy, frightened as though she had realized her mistake. "I… I didn't mean to!" she said quickly, her hands leaving the drawstring and reaching out for his. He pulled away from her as though her touch physically pained him. "I-I don't know what got into me, Cid. Please, just come to bed—"

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Cid roared as he backed away, his eyes wild, unable to control his own shudder as she flinched again under the volume of his yell. "You thought—you thought I was gonna—what the FUCK, Shera?" he yelled again, this time unable to keep the hurt from mixing with the anger in his voice.

"Cid, please!" Shera tried again, her eyes misting with tears as she launched herself out of the bed and moved towards him. "I didn't mean it like that—" She stopped as Cid took another step back and hit the closed door, breathing unsteadily.

"Didn't mean it like what?" Cid answered roughly, staring at the woman before him in shock. It was the most emotion he'd seen her express in months, but it wasn't exactly the reaction that he had been hoping for when he entered her room that night. "You thought I was gonna fucking hit you!" he repeated, the words sounding sour in his ears. "You really thought I was gonna hit you like some goddamn punk off the street!" His mind raced, the blood pounding in his ears. _Gotta get outta this damn room,_ he thought muzzily to himself as he fumbled for the doorknob.

"Please don't go!" Shera said again, this time reaching for his arm. Brusquely, Cid shook her off and nearly tore the door off its hinges as he pulled it open.

"Fuck, woman. You can stop pretending already! I know you don't want me in your bed tonight," he cursed at her. Then he laughed bitterly, taking one last look at Shera's bedraggled, trembling form. A stab of regret made him wince, but the hazy anger soon rose again to take its place. "Holy shit… all these years…" he said gruffly, trying to form coherent words around his jumbled thoughts. "I thought you knew me better than that, Shera," he added finally, feeling a dull, throbbing ache expand in his chest. And then, with the slam of a door, he was gone.

_**AN:** Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review, tell me what you think. I write abnormally fast, but I write even more abnormally faster when people leave reviews._


	2. The Hell Am I Doin?

**Chapter 2: The Hell am I Doin'?**

By the time morning dawned, Cid was already up, nursing a mug of strong black coffee as he threw together a meal in the kitchen. "Where's the goddamned mustard?" he mumbled as he rooted through the cupboard haphazardly. He paused as he noticed Shera entering the room. The only visible signs of their struggle the previous evening were the dark rings under her eyes; she stared at him for a moment before making her way to one of the cabinets and deftly pulling out a small jar.

"Here," she said softly. "Do you want me to finish that up for you?"

Cid stared, his knuckles whitening as he unconsciously clenched the butter knife still in his hand. A tense silence rose up between them as Cid stared at Shera's face, searching for some sign of surprise or upset. Finding none, his mouth pulled into a frown and he threw the knife down onto the countertop with a loud clatter. "Fine," he grumbled. "Gives me more time to pack."

If Shera was surprised, she didn't show it. Instead, she began to repair the unrecognizable mess that passed for Cid's sandwich, keeping her eyes focused on her task. "Are you taking the Highwind?" she asked when she noticed that he was still standing next to her. He said nothing, and for a while the sound of chopping tomatoes filled the air. In the morning light, she looked so much the picture of a content housewife that it made Cid ache. _Why does it all have to be a goddamn lie?_ He wanted to reach out and catch the loose strands of her hair and pull them away from her face. The memory of her flinch came back in full force as his fingers twitched, and his hand stayed by his side.

"Where are you going this time?" Shera asked, startling him out of his deliberation.

"Don't know," Cid grunted, too weary to put up the appearance of geniality. He knew better than to hope for a reaction from her, though her hands did still for a moment. "I just need a goddamn vacation." He squinted, trying one last time to reach her somehow. "Shera… you an' me…" he started, leaning against the counter and looking down at her. He bit back his words as she looked up into his face with a gentle smile.

"I understand, Cid. Take as long as you need." She pressed the wrapped sandwich she had prepared into his hands gently. "I'll warm up the airship while you finish packing." Then with a swish, she was gone, dutiful and devoted as ever. Cid stared at the sandwich in his hands. It was skilfully made and filled just the way he liked it, the same perfect little sandwich that Shera always made for him. The miniature work of art was ruined as Cid squeezed it tightly, popping it out of its neat plastic wrapping and splattering it messily over the freshly cleaned countertop. He glared at the soggy bundle furiously before tossing it away. "Damn it," he whispered to himself. "Can't you feel _anything,_ woman?"

**.x.x.x.**

The airship touched down, raising a whirl of wind and sand as it settled on the ground. Cid leaned back from the controls, exhaling deeply as he began to shut down the power in the huge contraption. It was much more difficult to fly the Highwind on his own without the help of his pilot trainees; the challenge of doing it by himself always invigorated him, however. Much more importantly he felt the need to be alone. In Rocket Town, Cid and Shera's relationship was as stable of a fixture as the rocket scaffolding, and he wasn't in the mood to answer the questioning looks his co-pilots would have undoubtedly given him.

Drawing a cigarette from the pack tucked away under his goggles, he lit it and took a deep drag, closing his eyes. Exhaling, he opened them and studied the tall structure that rose in the distance.

"What the hell am I doin' here?" he mumbled to himself with a sigh. When you had the world's most advanced travel machinery at your disposal, no place seemed very far or exotic anymore. After more than a few hours of aimless circling in the skies over the ocean, Cid had settled on quite possibly the one place furthest away from a vacation resort that anyone could imagine. On the plus side, it was highly unlikely that Shera or anyone else would have thought to look for him at that particular destination. "Looks kinda different without that big damn chicken on top," he muttered as he gathered his bags and spear together and stomped out of the control room. The walk to the now-inaccurately named Fort Condor was a good couple of miles away, and he wanted to be there before darkness settled.

The arduous hike up the rocky hillside took longer than Cid expected; his lungs were burning by the time the base of the fort came into view. "Gotta cut back on the cigs," he mumbled to himself as he took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. Then he winced and reached behind his ear for another one of the causes of his problem. Shera hated his chain smoking habit, he knew; she never scolded him about it, though. It was as if the woman was still doing penance for some great sin against him she committed. With a grunt, Cid tossed the unlit cigarette away, half annoyed with himself for hanging onto reminders of Shera and half as an act of defiance. One he regretted shortly afterwards as he remembered that the fort didn't stock up on his favourite brand of cigarettes. "No time to be thinkin' of Shera," he growled to himself, hefting his pack and making his way towards the rope ladder. He stopped as the pungent smell of chocobo drifted over from the makeshift stables; a curious wark greeted him and he moved to inspect the golden beak that poked out from the stall.

"Well, damn," Cid said, staring at the chocobo, who eyed him back fearlessly. It was a fine beast, massive and well-toned. "Didn't think I'd see any of your type here," Cid said with a grin as he gave the golden bird a critical inspection. Golden chocobos were exceedingly rare; it was highly unlikely that the residents of Fort Condor would have managed to breed one. The appreciative smile dropped from Cid's face as he considered the implications. "Shit," he mumbled, stomping away from the stables angrily. "Well, whoever's visiting is just gonna have to stay out of my fuckin' way," he muttered under his breath.

As he reached the upper settlement of the village, he was greeted with several smiles and nods of recognition. If the denizens of the small encampment were surprised to see Cid, they didn't show it; then again, it was difficult to miss the unmistakable form of the Highwind landing, even if it was parked in the distant fields below the rocky cliffside. The inhabitants had grown much more relaxed since the days when AVALANCHE had helped fend off the Shinra attack; with no need to fight for their survival anymore, the fort had much less of a desperate military feel and was more of a quaint village retreat. Cid found himself relaxing in the comfortable, familiar atmosphere; life had been starting over for some time for the residents of Fort Condor, and the people there were making the most of it. _Maybe some of that shit will rub off on me,_ he thought casually; it could be called the closest Cid's attitude came to optimism at that moment. Most of all, he was relieved that the residents didn't seem inclined to treat him like a celebrity during his stay. After a brief talk with the innkeeper he managed to make his way down to the communal guest room without any interruptions.

As he settled his pack and spear against one of the empty beds, Cid noticed with a twinge of annoyance that the owner of the gold chocobo had preceded him. A messy pack was leaning against one of the beds across from his, and a few books and trinkets were scattered on top of the nightstand next to it. He spent a few moments studying the mess, but soon gave up his scrutiny when the items didn't offer any obvious clues to their owner. With an unconcerned shrug, he hastily unpacked his own meagre supplies and then stretched lazily. A yawn escaped his lips, and he eyed the bed speculatively while cracking his neck. "Damn… I must be getting' old," he muttered to himself disgustedly before giving up and throwing himself down onto the bed in exhaustion. Eyes closing, it wasn't long before the drowsy stupor of sleep overcame the weary pilot.

Cid snorted and rolled over as a small noise disturbed his rest. It seemed to be coming from a great distance away, and the weight of sleep was invitingly pulling him back towards oblivion. Fuzzily, he felt a slight pressure on his foot, and then release as a weight he hadn't even realized was there came off of it. "Nng…" he mumbled sleepily, a sense of annoyance overcoming him though he couldn't recall why. "… lay off the fuckin' boots, Shera," he managed to mumble before letting out another snore. He thought he heard a huff of annoyance and a small curse, but ignored it in favour of the siren call of his nap. When another soft weight settled over his entire body, he was already fast asleep.

**.x.x.x.**

Blinking, Cid swore and fumbled around for the light in confusion for a few moments before he remembered where he was. "Shit, wonder how long I slept for," he grumbled to himself as he finally managed to light the small oil lamp on the stand next to him. Blinking, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared at the large quilt that had mysteriously appeared over his body. "The hell…?" he mumbled, throwing it off only to be more confused by the sight of his feet. One boot was off, lying on the floor next to him, while the other was still on his foot, half-laced. He snorted and shook his head uncomfortably, chasing away the remainder of the sleep-induced fog. "Now I know I didn't do that," he muttered sourly, reaching for his discarded boot and sliding it back onto his foot. It wasn't that Cid appreciated the hospitality offered by the residents of Fort Condor, but if he found who had been pawing around his body while he was sleeping, there was going to be hell to pay. Quickly lacing the boots closed, he got up and made his way up the ladder and into the common room.

"Hey, you," Cid began gruffly, keeping his voice low as the darkness outside clued him in to how late it actually was. The watchman he addressed blinked and looked up sleepily from his post by the fort's entrance. "Did anyone come down into the guestroom after me this afternoon?" he asked suspiciously.

The guard yawned and shook his head slightly. "Just our other visitor," he replied listlessly, giving Cid a lazy smile. "Pretty unusual to have both of you here at once," he added with a note of pride.

Cid's eyebrow quirked, but he shrugged and left the other man to his duties. _So the little shit who messed with me is famous too,_ he noted. "Christ, I hope it's not Spike," he muttered to himself as he made his way towards the stairs that led to the battlement overlooking the valley outside. "That man's screwed enough without having a shoe fetish on top of it."

Wandering through the empty halls, Cid decided to take a slight detour to the mess hall. Cutting through to the back kitchen, he shrugged to himself and opened the pantry. A smile crossed his face as several rows of gleaming brown glass greeted him; grabbing one from the shelf, he decided he'd leave an extra tip for the residents later. "Shit… it's fucking warm," he noted as he rummaged though the drawers for an opener and popped the cap off of the bottle of beer. "Better than nothing, I guess," he said after taking a large swig. Exiting the kitchen, he made his way towards the rooftop once more.

There was a reason Cid had chosen Fort Condor when he finally settled on a destination. Besides its unlikelihood as a vacation resort, it also was nestled on a high cliff overlooking the ocean. A lack of electricity and its remote location all served to make it a very clean, peaceful area. The high cliff the fortress was built on offered an unparalleled view of the celestial bodies at night, untainted by the light pollution usually generated by more densely populated towns and cities. A view of the stars uninterrupted by the rest of humanity was exactly what Cid wanted at that moment; it served as a soothing reminder of the old dreams he used to reach for.

Opening the trapdoor that led to the roof of the high fortress, Cid was greeted with a gust of cold, salty air. He could faintly hear the rustling of the ocean surf breaking against the cliffside, and as he squinted upwards, he noticed with a grin that very few clouds were obscuring the view of the evening sky. Stars peppered the thick blackness above, bathing the entire area in a cold, bright light. Freeing another cigarette from his goggles, he hunched over and lit it, inhaling deeply. Then, casually, he strolled to the wall facing the sea and leaned over, a slight frown marring his features. It was beautiful, yes, and distracting, but not distracting enough to make him forget a certain woman's features. Sighing heavily, he turned around and leaned on his elbows, scanning the darkened battlement curiously.

A huge, inky black spot seemed to absorb the light in the centre of the roof. Cid recognized it as the ashy burn mark that used to host the phoenix egg. Apparently the denizens of the fort had decided to keep that, too, as a reminder of their struggle for a new life. "New life," Cid muttered to himself, taking another drag from his cigarette. "I could use one of those right about now." Letting his head fall back, he watched the stars above him. "Here's to you," he said, raising his bottle in a toast to the silent sky before taking another deep swill of the beer. "One of the only fucking things to go right in my life so far."

It was strange; for the longest time Cid had been convinced that his only dream in life was to get as far away from the planet as possible. Being up there, surrounded by the stars, however, had proven to him the same lesson as Tifa had learned in her pursuit of Cloud. Sometimes dreams were better left unfulfilled; you could keep the illusion of something perfect if you didn't chase it down. Though he wouldn't have traded his trip to the space for anything in the world, he knew that the stars held no place for him anymore. "Gotta find myself somethin' new," he mumbled, raising the glass to his lips once more.

"Whatcha lookin' for?"

The loud voice materialized next to his ear, and Cid jerked in surprise, the beer spraying from his mouth in a wide arc over the rooftop as he sputtered. "Jesus Christ!" he spat out as he managed to control his coughing, turning to look at the speaker next to him with wide eyes. "Don't fuckin' scare me like that, brat!"

Grey, mischief-filled eyes twinkled up at him in delight, and she placed her hands on her hips triumphantly. "That was really cool. Gross, but cool. Can you do it again?" Yuffie replied, tilting her head and smirking.

Cid let out a half-muttered string of curses as his eyebrows lowered and he tried to recover his now-frothy beer, wiping away the excess moisture from his chin. "So you're the other guest, huh? I knew someone up there hated me," he said sourly.

"Nice to see you too, you old geezer!" Yuffie replied with a frown. It didn't last for long as she launched herself up onto the wall beside Cid and began kicking her legs against the stone impatiently. "So what'cha doin' here, anyway?"

Cid eyed the small ninja suspiciously, and then let out a sigh. "I could ask you the same thing, kid. I thought you were holed up in Wutai, doin' your thing there." He gave her the once over, his brows furrowing thoughtfully. It had been years since he saw her last; truth be told, she hadn't changed all that much. Perhaps she was a little taller than before and her bony figure slightly more pronounced than in the previous years; the fringes of her unruly bangs still brushed her chin, though she had at the least stopped painting them with the blonde stripes. Cid had always thought it made her look like a wild skunk. For all he cared, though, Yuffie still looked to him like a larger version of the teenager who had traipsed across the globe with the rest of AVALANCHE.

Yuffie's feet paused momentarily and she rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm just taking a little break," she admitted, drawing her knees in to her chest. "Godo's got everything under control back home, he doesn't need me hanging around and bugging him all the time. I just thought I'd get out and have a little fun in the meanwhile."

Cid stared at her, his eyebrow twitching slightly. _Of all the goddamn luck-- _"So you just had to come to a little backwater shit town like Fort Condor," he finished sourly, the displeasure in his voice evident.

Unphased, Yuffie grinned brightly and nodded her head. "Naturally," she added with a note of mock seriousness that clearly indicated her defiance. "Why? You have a problem with me being here?"

"Damn straight," he mumbled under his breath, moving away from her and further down the battlement. To his consternation, the small ninja sprung off the wall and trailed after him.

"It's not like Fort Condor belongs to you, ya know," Yuffie said diplomatically. "Besides, you still haven't told me what you're doing here!" she added with a bright smile. "Where's Shera anyway?" she asked, dancing around him and clapping her hands together. "You two are soooo cute together! Have you had any kids yet?"

Cid stiffened at the name, his glare growing hot. "Why the hell is everyone always buggin' me about Shera? Are we attached at the fuckin' hip or something?" he growled, stomping to the wall and glaring out at the darkness angrily, his temper boiling.

Yuffie paused mid-dance, her eyes wide with shock as she watched Cid's shoulders hunch up with tension. "That bad, huh?" she muttered quietly, her teasing voice falling away. "Geez, sorry I asked," she added. The sentiment was ruined by the clear note of sarcasm in her voice. And then it was completely lost as she rejoined Cid's side and barrelled ahead carelessly. "So what happened between you two, huh? A lover's quarrel?" she drawled, raising her eyebrows dramatically as she plied him for more information.

"Shit," Cid said, his cigarette ruined as his teeth clamped together in annoyance. With a growl he spat it out over the side of the wall, and nearly had another heart attack as Yuffie leapt up after it, hanging precariously over the edge to watch the glowing butt trail its way down the cliffside before winking out in the dark ocean surf below. Grabbing onto the belt of her shorts, he hauled her off of the wall and back down onto the solid roof of the fort. "Don't fuckin' do that!" he yelled at her angrily.

"Aww, were you scared for me? That's so sweet!" Yuffie giggled, batting her eyelashes at him. She dropped the act quickly as she saw a very angry Cid battling the urge to smack her over the head. "Hey, relax you old fart, it's not like I would've fallen. Ninja training and all, ya know?" she said, patting his arm reassuringly.

"Really? I seem to remember you failed at fuckin' ninja school," Cid said harshly as his heart rate dropped somewhere back into a normal range.

"Thanks a lot for reminding me," Yuffie said sourly, draping herself against the wall next to Cid. For a moment they shared an uneasy truce, seething at each other. Yuffie recovered first, the scowl flitting away to be replaced by another one of her eager smiles. "Seriously. I just needed to get away from Wutai for a bit. I wasn't planning on coming to Fort Condor and messing up your vacation plans or anything," she said apologetically.

Cid drummed his fingers against the wall and gave a little sigh of defeat. "Don't worry about it kid, didn't mean to bite your head off there." He shot her a sharp glare. "Just don't make any more swan dives off of the roof while I'm around, clear?"

"Yeah, I know, your heart can't take the shock, geezer," Yuffie teased, smirking as Cid's face darkened. Deciding to smooth over the temporary peace before he blew up again, she spoke quickly. "I left Wutai after I figured out that I didn't really want to rule it," she said loudly. "Like I said, Godo's doing fine on his own, he doesn't need me around. I just wanted to save Wutai, and we managed to do that five years ago," she admitted. "I guess I'm looking for something new to do with myself now, and maybe have a little fun on the side."

Cid shook his head, reaching for another cigarette. He noticed Yuffie's nose wrinkle in disgust, and with a smirk, took his time lighting it. After he exhaled, he gave Yuffie an appraising glance. "So you're still the same brat as before, no sense of responsibility," he concluded with boredom.

Yuffie gawked at Cid for a moment, her eyes widening almost comically. Then her face flushed red. "Listen here, you old fart!" she yelled, leaping away from the wall and pointing her finger directly under his nose. "I came back for the final battle, didn't I? And I already told ya that Godo doesn't need my help! I don't see where you get off calling me irresponsible!" She sniffed disdainfully and crossed her arms over her chest. "Geez, breaking up with Shera sure didn't improve your attitude any!" she declared loudly.

"Oh for the love of—" Cid swore as his teeth gnashed together, ruining the fresh cigarette for a second time, which didn't improve his mood either. "We didn't fucking break up, alright?" he growled, this time carefully stubbing the cigarette out before tossing it over the side of the building. "I'm just… takin' some time off," he finished gruffly.

Yuffie snorted and uncrossed her arms. "Ya know, if you keep doing that you're gonna kill all the little fishies with tobacco poisoning." Leaning against the wall, she appraised Cid shrewdly. "Well listen, you're taking some time off, I'm taking some time off, so it's the same thing, right? Just get off my back about it already."

"Then stop bringin' up Shera, you little punk," he shot back nastily. Silence settled uncomfortably around them, and Cid took a long drink from his bottle. He turned slightly and raised an eyebrow as he heard Yuffie mumble under her breath. "What was that?" he asked gruffly.

"I said, if that's the way you're gonna be, I won't bother taking your shoes off next time," she snapped back, a pout still evident on her face.

Cid blinked, remembering the fuzzy encounter during his nap and the blanket that had covered him as he woke up. "That was you?" he asked with a note of disbelief. It was hard to connect the image of the impudent little ninja before him with someone who would actually bother to look after his well-being in the guest room. He smirked as he remembered the state of his shoes, and the connection became clearer. "You did a half-assed job of that, too," he told her smugly.

"Only because you called me the S-word," Yuffie answered him, sticking out her tongue. "You were totally out of it and that was even grosser than your shoes!"

"I called you a little shit?" Cid asked uncertainly, scratching his head. "Damn, guess my mouth runs on automatic," he muttered with a certain unmistakable air of pride.

Yuffie rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. "No, the other S-word, stupid. The one you just told me to stop mentioning," she added pointedly.

_Shera._ Cid winced at the thought of the woman, the wounds still too fresh to be unearthed publicly in front of the curious girl before him. A girl who was currently reading his expression with an all-too-knowing look of pity on her face. "Lay off," he said irately, turning away from her. "'Sides, I should've known you weren't Shera," he added after a moment of distracted contemplation. "Shera doesn't like swearing."

Yuffie kicked her heel into the wall with a thoughtful frown. "But… she's been living with you for what… nine years now?" she asked quietly. "If she doesn't like swearing—"

"Goddamnit, Yuffie, I told you to lay off," Cid repeated more sharply, though his anger was no longer directed at her. A pained look crossed his face, and Yuffie discreetly backed away from him with a thoughtful expression.

"Look, I'm sorry," she said after a moment, crossing her hands behind her back. "I didn't mean to needle ya like that," she said sheepishly, avoiding his surprised glance. "I kinda know where you're coming from so I shouldn't have bugged you about it."

Cid's other eyebrow lifted to join its companion as he regarded the young girl. "What the hell are you talking about?" he said, caught between wondering whether to be curious by her admission or annoyed by her crass assumption that they had anything in common. Deciding on the latter, his face drew into a scowl. "Listen, if you're talkin' about that stupid crush you had on Spike, don't even—"

"Oh shut up!" Yuffie railed suddenly, her eyes glinting angrily as her gaze shot to his face. "For your information, I'm not talking about Cloud, not that it's any of your business you big jerk!" Regaining her composure, she huffed heavily. "I'm talking about loving something so much it hurts, even if it doesn't love you back," she added more softly, turning away and staring out over the ocean. She spoke with a conviction and sincerity that surprised Cid, and he scrabbled through his mind for whatever could affect the young girl so deeply. The answer came to him as she continued her sentence, a soft note of regret colouring her voice. "… when no matter how much you wanna be right there by their side, you just know you don't belong." _Wutai,_ he thought in a sudden flash of revelation. Funny, it wasn't a person she loved, but the familiar ache that radiated from her small form struck a chord as he joined her on the wall. Together they listened to the waves crash against the cliffside, commiserating silently with each other.

Yuffie broke the silence once more, sighing loudly as she leaned her cheek into an open palm. "Hey Cid… if you really love her, then you just gotta keep trying to work things out and hope it goes okay."

Cid snorted through his nose and stared blankly at the ocean below. "Imagine that, me takin' advice from a brat like you," he muttered sarcastically, though not with the usual amount of venom his insults carried. "Well maybe you gotta stop running away from your own problems before you can deal with 'em," he answered pointedly.

Yuffie let out a dry laugh of understanding and another silence settled between them.

"I don't think you can help me with my troubles. Thanks for trying anyway, kid," he added gruffly after a few moments, turning to look at her. Shrugging, she gave him a wane smile, her boundless energy from earlier seemingly sapped away by her guilty admission. In an unexpected surge of compassion, he offered her his half-emptied bottle of beer. "Here, you look like you could use a drink," he joked. Grabbing the beer, Yuffie tossed her head back and gulped it down quickly, causing Cid's eyes to widen. "H-hey, leggo of the damn bottle," he yelled, snatching it back from her. "That ain't fruit punch you're drinkin'!"

Burping loudly, the small ninja wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and grimaced. "Blarg, it was warm!" she grumbled accusingly. "Thanks anyway, I guess it's the thought that counts."

Cid only sighed and looked at his almost-empty bottle forlornly. "Shit, you're just full of surprises today, aren't you."

"Well ya didn't get me at my best," Yuffie answered tartly, perking up a bit. That, or the alcohol was going to her head. "You know I'm right, though," she added absentmindedly, her fingers dancing over the uneven stone. "If you don't get your butt in gear and make up with the missus, you're gonna be a lonely old man before you know it. I mean, you're already ancient—"

"Thirty-seven is not fuckin' ancient!" Cid answered sharply, his fist clenching as he glared at her. He fumed as Yuffie waved him off carelessly.

"—so you should seize the moment while you have it. Carpey Diol or however it goes," she added breezily.

"Carpe diem," Cid corrected automatically, shaking his head in disbelief. "And you're one to talk, kid. Look at you! Keep on acting like a little brat and you'll be an old spinster before you know it. Damn, you already have a head start with all those fuckin' cats in your house, too!" he added with a wry chuckle.

Yuffie's face dropped into a fierce frown. "Listen, I love my cats! All 92 of them, so don't bring them into this! Besides, I'm only 21, so I still have plenty of time to find someone special." Though her tone was fierce, her eyes were glassy, and Cid realized with a start that he might have pushed too far.

"Aww, shit. Look, kid, I didn't mean anything by it." Feeling uncomfortable, he lifted the bottle to his lips before remembering it was empty and setting it down with an awkward curse.

Yuffie poked Cid in the arm roughly, the watery sheen from her eyes slowly fading. "It's okay, I guess I earned that for all that sass I gave you earlier," she admitted with a tiny smile. "But you're right, I have to start settling down one of these days. I was just…" She bit her lip and looked away, crossing her arms over her stomach in an uncharacteristically defensive gesture, as though she was trying to keep her guts from spilling out of her belly.

Cid regarded her thoughtfully. "Hey, you okay?" he asked uncertainly, wondering just how deep the nerve he had stepped on actually ran.

Blinking, Yuffie turned her gaze back onto him quickly. "I thought I had a chance," she declared honestly. Seeing Cid's confused look, she pressed on hurriedly, as though she wanted to get the words out as quickly as possible. "When things with Tifa didn't pan out, I thought I had a chance with him," she admitted, her face turning a slight shade of red. "I found him, too, but…" Her voice cracked, and her smile became forced. "Well, you know Spike," she finished, hugging herself even more tightly.

Cid's eyes narrowed as he took in her trembling form. Only someone like Cloud could have taken Yuffie's almost bombastic overconfidence and whittled it away to the tattered shreds she was so desperately trying to collect before him. "That fucking bastard," he swore, his eyes glinting dangerously in the moonlight. "What'd he do to you?"

Yuffie's eyes widened and she waved her hands rapidly in an attempt to cool Cid's rising ire. "Oh, heh heh, calm down old man! Cloud didn't do anything to me!" Her smile turned sheepish and she kicked at the ground once more. "That's sorta the problem," she admitted with a note of disappointment. "A whole month of tailing him around, being all nice and mature and not even cracking a single joke about his hair, and he didn't do _anything,_" she added bitterly. "At least I know it's not my boobs, since he rejected Tifa too," she finished with a scowl.

Cid sighed and sought out another cigarette, noting that it was the last one in his pack. Carefully, he lit it and inhaled deeply. "It's not you, kid. Spike's still holding the damn torch for Aeris," he said finally. "Don't take it personal. Anyone who can put up with yer shit long enough can see that you got a good heart. You'll catch yourself a man one of these days," he said offhandedly. _Shit, why isn't a woman here to give her this talk?_ he wondered to himself uncomfortably. Yuffie seemed surprised by his words, and stared at him openly in shock until he turned and flinched under her gaze, baring his teeth in annoyance. "The hell? Do I have something on my face? Knock it off!" he yelled at her brusquely.

Yuffie let out a little squeak and jumped up, her face colouring bright red. "S-sorry!" she managed to get out, her eyes wide as saucers. "Umm… I gotta go… uh… sleep! Right now!" she fumbled as she backed away slowly from the wall, obviously trying to get away from him.

Cid stared at her in consternation. _What the hell did I say?_ he wondered. _Fuck, I probably stuck my foot so far up my mouth it's comin' outta my ass again,_ he grumbled inwardly. He was interrupted by an unusually timid question that Yuffie voiced.

"I… I'll see you tomorrow, right?" she asked hesitantly, looking up at him shyly.

Cid stared at her for a moment, wondering if Yuffie was really as stupid as she pretended to be at times, or if was all part of another one of her 'brilliant master plans.' Shaking his head slowly, he took another long puff on his cigarette. "You'll see me tonight if you don't manage to keep that meeting you got with the sandman, kid," he told her incredulously. "We're in the same fuckin' room after all."

If anything, Yuffie's face turned an even darker shade of scarlet at the reminder and she let out another squeak. "Tomorrow then!" she managed to yell, racing for the trapdoor. As she lifted it, she paused and shot the confused pilot a tiny smile. "And… thanks, old man," she said quietly, giving him a little wave. The trapdoor shut with an audible click behind her, and Cid turned around to face the ocean once more, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Wonder what the hell's up with her?" he muttered to himself, raising the cigarette to his lips. He paused as he reflected on her parting call, a frown etching itself onto his face. "I'm not that fucking old, am I?" he ground out suddenly, his teeth clenching. Then his face fell as he plucked the ruined cigarette stub out of his mouth and let out a sting of curses.

_**AN:** Hee hee hee. I know, I shouldn't be writing this fic, but I wanted to see if I could do something naughty well. I hope you all are enjoying it, and thanks for the reviews. I'm sort of surprised that there's no flames yet. No complaints about that, though. :-)_


	3. Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

**Chapter 3: Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time**

The next morning dawned bright and early at Fort Condor, and it wasn't long before the small community was filled with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Cid, however, took no notice of it, somehow managing to sleep through the early morning clamour thanks to his late night on the roof. He woke up in the afternoon with a pounding headache and a sour mood, alone in the guestroom. As he blinked and slowly oriented himself, he found his eyes drifting to the bed across from his own. Unsurprisingly, its occupant was long gone, the quilt folded neatly over the slightly mussed bed. He noted that Yuffie's things were still scattered around the area; considering her strange behaviour, he wouldn't have been surprised to see that the ninja had packed up and left in the night. It was with a bit of bewilderment that he recognized the slight feeling of relief that came from being proved wrong, despite whatever it was he had done that flustered her so much. "Still wonder what the fuck I said," he grumbled to himself, sitting up and stretching slowly as he worked the sleep out of his muscles.

"I need a smoke," he grunted after a moment, running a hand through his unruly hair. He fumbled through his backpack searching for a new pack before remembering where his last cigarette had landed. That brought out another healthy string of curses. Finally he settled on pulling on his pants and boots and making his way towards the mess hall in the search for the next best soothing balm to his nicotine addiction -- caffeine. It was only after he had settled himself comfortably at one of the tables with a cup of strong coffee that he managed to collect his scattered thoughts. They were centred on one paramount question, which he managed to voice quite eloquently.

"What the fuck am I doin' here?"

"Drinking coffee, looks like!" came the upbeat answer. Fortunately, the liquid was not in his mouth this time, though Yuffie did look slightly disappointed that he didn't provide her with another show. "Wow, so you're finally up! Whoa," she said as she settled herself onto the bench across from him, oblivious to his half-hearted glare. "I always thought you styled your hair that way on purpose," she noted, her eyes drifting up to the shaggy mop of blond hair that rose in unruly spikes from his head. "But now I know your secret! It's just bed head!" she giggled, leaping out and leaning across the table to reach for one particularly rebellious tuft.

Cid ducked away before her fingers could latch onto her prize, nearly spilling his coffee in the process. "Keep your damn fingers away from my head," he warned her suspiciously.

Yuffie pouted, falling back into her seat with a loud sigh. "I wasn't gonna do anything bad!" she protested, propping herself against table.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't forget I know all about your thing for pink ribbons, brat," he replied, finishing off his coffee with gusto before setting the mug down. He stared at Yuffie, who was still sitting with her cheek in her hand and staring at him with a goofy grin, being uncharacteristically quiet. Cid shifted on the bench uncomfortably. He knew that grin. Whenever he saw that grin, it meant trouble for the rest of AVALANCHE. "Why are you so damn happy?" he asked her cautiously.

"Hmm? Oh!" Yuffie blinked and blushed slightly, then recovered quickly. "Can't I just be happy to see you, old man?" she teased.

"Nope," he answered, leaning against the table and staring her down. "Try again, kid."

"You sure you really want to know?" Yuffie responded, a mischievous smile playing at her lips.

Cid couldn't help the sense of foreboding that accompanied the smile, his eyes narrowing. Yuffie was apparently having another one of her Ideas, and from past experience he knew the best thing to do during those times was lay low and hope that she would lose interest before noticing him. His question came back to him, though—he had come to Fort Condor without a plan or a reason; the only thing he wanted was a distraction. The living definition of "distraction" was still beaming at him from across the table, waiting for his answer. _What the hell else am I gonna do?_ he thought with resignation, and let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, tell me," he grumbled.

"Yeah!" Yuffie cheered, holding up her fingers in a V-sign. "I got the bestest idea after talking to you last night. I swear, you're gonna love this one!" she crowed, leaping to her feet and grabbing Cid's wrist to drag him behind her. Her excitement was checked by the painful-sounding crash of his body against the table before he wrenched his arm out of her grasp.

"I thought you were gonna tell me, not use me to polish the fuckin' furniture," he growled, stepping away from the bench as he nursed his bruised ribs. "I can fly, but not across the goddamn room!" He stopped and felt his stomach curl as Yuffie gave him a sly glance.

"We'll see about that," she muttered with an evil grin.

**.x.x.x.**

Cid Highwind was not a man who scared easily. Piloting, especially when one did it as well as he did, took more than just the technical know-how to get things into the air; it took guts. If there was one thing Cid was definitely not lacking in, it was guts.

Those guts were currently considering deserting him as he looked at the flimsy makeshift contraption that the small ninja was busily unfolding in the grass next to him. "Explain to me again why the hell I'm even out here?" he said uncertainly as she secured another piece of cloth against a thin aluminium pole.

"Oh, lighten up!" Yuffie replied, not bothering to look up from her work. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"It lost to my sense of self-preservation a long time ago," he replied dryly. He reached for a cigarette and cursed once more as his hand came away empty at his forehead. "I really need a smoke," he mumbled to himself nervously.

"Cid Highwind, that's a big fat lie and you know it!" Yuffie chided him.

Cid rounded on her furiously. "Don't come between a man and his cigarettes!" he yelled at her.

The ninja only rolled her eyes and flipped the huge device over, hooking more straps together with a noisy jangle. "I meant about the adventure!" she corrected. "My stomach tells me you have plenty of adventure left in ya every time you ferry us somewhere in that airship of yours!" Yuffie snapped a final pole into place and stood up, struggling to get the large triangular device into the air. It was obviously very light and, he realized as she stepped into it and strapped herself securely into the harness, surprisingly aerodynamic. That didn't reassure him very much, however, especially when she began to totter away from the gently sloping edge of the cliffside with the thing in tow. "Stop worrying! I've done this lots of times from the top of the Da Chao. It's perfectly safe and I'll prove it!" she chided him.

"Listen, kid, I trust you," he lied, "but I don't think this is a really good id—SHIT!" he ground out as Yuffie ignored him and began charging towards the edge of the cliff. He reached out to try and catch her, but the deft girl had always been much faster than any of them. She was soon out of reach, sailing over the edge of the cliff and away from his outstretched arms. Cursing wildly, Cid barely managed to stop himself from tumbling over the cliffside after her, wind-milling precariously over the steep drop to catch himself. Then he fell backwards in surprise as a gentle rush of air washed over him, pushed into his face as it caught under the frame of the hang glider's outstretched wings and carried her into the sky. "Holy hell," Cid mumbled in astonishment as Yuffie's glider quickly gained momentum and made a graceful arc over his head. The poetic moment was ruined as Yuffie swept the hang glider just low enough for him to catch her shout.

"Who failed ninja school now, huh?" she screamed with a wild smile as she sailed by him. He stared open-mouthed after her until she circled again for another jab. "You're next!"

_Damn, how did I get into this?_ Cid thought once again, smacking his forehead against his palm. The answer was clear enough; after his coffee, Yuffie had dragged him to the chocobo stables before he could protest. He should have suspected her plans when he complained about his empty stomach and she only reassured him that _'it would help._' She had remained tight-lipped about the ridiculously long bundle that was lashed to her chocobo's back, silent even as he followed her out on his own rented chocobo to the high, windy peak of the cliffside some miles away from the settlement. It was only when they had dismounted and she began to undo the package that he realized her plan. By then, of course, it was already too late; Yuffie Kisaragi was going to teach him the secret Wutanese art of Ninja-Gliding, and apparently he had no say in the matter.

His thoughts drifted back to the present as she made another low pass overhead, her laughter floating down towards him between sporadic gusts of air. "Damn," he mumbled, shading his eyes and watching the silhouette of the glider as it moved across the sunny sky. "That really is something else," he muttered thoughtfully.

Flying had always been one of Cid's dreams; he could trace it back to his rabid fascination with buggies and cars as a young child. Catching the harsh sting of wind against his face as he leaned out of the window of a moving vehicle had ignited both his passion for speed and the ire of his constantly worried parents. With a chuckle, he realized that his childhood had probably been as wild as Yuffie's own, if not more. The chuckle dried out as he wondered what happened to that reckless child, the one who had been willing to throw away propriety and safety all for the sake of chasing his dreams. Vaguely, he realized that the part of him that longed for that freedom had begun to die with the dependence on the Shinra to fund his aviation projects. It was hard to remember the joy when weighted down under all of the bureaucracy and politics that came with realizing that particular dream.

With a start, Cid realized he was drawing easy parallels to his own relationship with Shera. He snorted and ran a hand through his hair sheepishly; it wasn't as though his lovely, caring Shera could ever compare to the cold Shinra bastards he had worked with. The effect was the same, though; whether the dream was flying or settling down, his excitement had cooled to the point where he was beginning to doubt its very existence. The grimace faded from his face as he saw Yuffie bank the glider sharply, angling down towards the grassy field behind him. She landed at a run, slowing down to a clumsy hop that belayed the gracefulness the glider had displayed in the air. By the time he reached her, she had already freed herself from the harness and was busily making tiny adjustments on the glider itself.

"Holy shit kid, that was incredible!" Cid found himself saying as he approached Yuffie.

She stood up and dusted herself off with a huge smile. "So you're convinced now?" she asked with a smug grin.

Cid balked and stared at the hang glider. "I didn't say that," he muttered before catching himself. The memory of wind rushing through his hair stopped him. It had been five years since he had flown anything but the hermetically sealed airship. He thought about his dreams, and of Shera, and his fingers flexed reflexively.

Yuffie capitalized on his indecision instantly. "C'mon, you know you wanna do it," she said coyly, batting her eyelashes at him. "This is exactly what you need! Besides, I think you deserve a break. So don't try to fight it!"

Cid blinked and looked up sharply; he had been lost in the contemplation of his relationship with Shera when she spoke, and for a moment he stared at her in shock, unable to process the context of her offer. "W-what are you saying?" he asked, staring at the girl in consternation. Only she wasn't a girl anymore, he corrected himself as his eyes flicked to the hand that was resting lightly against the gentle curve of her hip. No, he noticed as his gaze travelled upwards, over the smooth skin of her exposed belly and across the swell of her small breasts, she had grown quite a bit in the last few years. His eyes lingered on the tiny, moist protrusion of her lower lip as she pouted, before finally coming to rest on her own stormy grey ones. With a start he realized she was staring at him and quickly turned his head away from her small figure. "What the hell are you talking about, brat?" he yelled angrily, upset at the path his mind had begun to shamble down. _Dirty old bastard,_ he thought to himself, trying to shake away the image of her creamy skin. _I got Shera… don't I?_ The moment of doubt was enough for his embarrassment to flare up in full force again.

Yuffie, who looked suddenly distinctly uncomfortable, bit her lower lip uncertainly and unconsciously wrapped her arms over the flash of exposed skin that had distracted him on her abdomen. Then her eyebrows lowered and she scowled at Cid. "I'm talking about hang gliding, you old fart, and I wish you'd stop calling me a brat! In case ya didn't notice, I'm trying to do something nice for you here!" With a huff she turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring daggers at the ocean.

Cid's breath came out in a whoosh, and he pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to mask his traitorous thoughts. _Hang gliding… shit,_ he thought sourly. _I really am losing it._ Realizing the problem was still simmering beside him, he dropped his hand and took a deep, cleansing breath. "Sorry," he mumbled shakily. The nervousness left him as Yuffie didn't turn to look at him.

"What was that?" she said sharply, her eyes still fixed on the ocean.

"I said sorry, I got a little fuckin' distracted, alright?" he yelled, stepping next to her and trying to find the ocean wave that was causing the tiny line to appear between her eyebrows. "Say, kid… you know I don't really think you're a brat, don't you?" he added after a moment.

Yuffie sighed quietly and uncrossed her arms, the scowl dropping from her face. "Yeah, yeah, I know," she said easily, waving her hand in front of her face. "It still sorta bugs me, though. Kinda like when I call you an old geezer, huh?"

Cid winced and grunted slightly. "How about this. You stop callin' me a geezer, and I won't call you a brat, then everyone'll be happy." He paused, then, considering. Calling Yuffie by her given name was something he didn't want to do. Nicknames were a staple of Cid's verbal diet; real names held an implied intimacy that he didn't want to share with Yuffie, especially not in light of the recent thoughts that had betrayed him. "So what should I call you then, kid?" he asked her quietly.

"… I guess I don't mind 'kid' all that much," Yuffie said after a slight pause. "Though I'd prefer it if you just called me Yuffie. You-fee, it's not that hard!" she enunciated, turning to him with a smile. The smile faltered slightly as she saw the downward twist of his lips and she spoke quickly. "Though, uh, you can just call me Yu if ya want, that's what all my friends back home call me!"

"Yu," Cid said cautiously, testing out the name on his lips. A slow grin spread across his face, and he looked at Yuffie with a smirk. "Doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as brat, but I guess it'll do," he said.

"Ya got it!" Yuffie said, smiling and twirling around before landing in a victory pose. "Well then, CID," she said, emphasizing his own name with a smile, "how about it? Are ya ready to fly?"

_Naw, but I'm gettin' there,_ he thought wryly as she bent over to heft the hang glider forward, giving him a good view of the back of her shorts. Then he kicked himself and shook his head as she approached him with the harness and an evil grin that effectively chased away any lingering fantasies. "Hey, kid, that's not funny!"

"Oh it's back to 'kid' now, huh?" Yuffie teased with a flash in her eye, shoving the harness into his arms. "You owe me for that, so put it on!" She relented slightly, backing away from him as she righted the hang glider once more. "Besides," she added carefully, "I meant it. I really think you'll like gliding. I know it makes me feel… happy," she finished quietly. "Like you can just float above all that stuff that's bugging you. You know, get away from it for a just little while."

Cid looked at the harness in his hands, considering her words. The breeze ruffled his hair, and he let out a harsh sigh. "Well, why the hell not?" he finally said, meeting her eyes with a smile.

**.x.x.x.**

"You sure this piece of shit is gonna hold?" Cid asked uncertainly as he stared down at the slope, the hang glider rising around him.

"If it can carry Godo's potbelly, it can carry you," Yuffie reassured him, making a few last checks on the straps. "Now remember what I said, lean into the wind and don't lift the nose up too high or you'll—"

Cid swore loudly, cutting her off. "I know how to glide, damn it!" he growled at her. "Just never done it without the goddamn plane before," he added gruffly, trying to mask his discomfort.

"Then this should be a piece of cake!" Yuffie said cheerily, giving him a pat on the back. Her eyes popped open and she pounded on his shoulder once more with more force. "Geez, you're stiff! Loosen up or you won't even make it to the cliff's edge!"

"Fuck off," Cid replied tersely, ignoring her and lowering his goggles over his eyes. "I'll go when I'm ready."

"Ohhhh-kay," Yuffie drawled cheerfully, giving him a wave. Then, with her usual speed, she ducked under the wing of the glider, freeing his path towards the ocean.

Cid stared into the horizon, inhaling deeply and steeling himself for the run towards the stark drop. _She better not be lyin' about this thing,_ he thought as the muscles in his legs tensed. _Ain't too late to call this goddamn crazy idea off,_ he added, hesitating as his mind pictured the various different ways that his body could end up smashed against the rocky seashore below. A sharp kick to his legs caught him by surprise and sent him stumbling forward towards the edge; the wind lifted, and Cid swore as he realized he wouldn't be able to stop himself in time before reaching the edge of the cliff.

"Have a nice flight!" he heard Yuffie call from behind him, the laughter clear in her voice.

Swearing again, he pushed himself into the glider, forcing his legs into a run as he barrelled off the edge of the cliff. The sick sensation of his stomach dropping away before the rest of his body followed filled him, and he clutched the metal handle of the glider tightly. The waves of the distant ocean rushed towards him all too quickly, and with a feeling of dread Cid froze, his hands locked stiffly on the bar as though he was on a roller coaster.

"—up! Pull up!" he heard Yuffie yelling from somewhere behind him, and he snapped out of his stupor and quickly eased up on the handlebar. Almost instantly, the strong gust of wind caught under the outstretched wings of the glider and sent him sailing skywards, back over the cliffside. His jaw slowly unclenched and dropped open as the ground spun away from him, Yuffie's figure growing smaller and smaller as she jumped and waved at him from below. Recovering from his initial shock, he slowly began to test the glider, leaning his weight this way and that and grinning as instinct and years of training took over. Yuffie was right, it wasn't actually all that difficult to control once he was in the air.

With a whoop, Cid leaned his weight sharply against the handlebar and executed a steep dive towards the ocean, zipping past the cliffside and a terrified Yuffie, who screamed and waved her arms wildly at him. At the last minute, he pulled up, circling the glider dizzily and laughing loudly as he soared back towards the clouds.

"…asn't funny, you bastard!" he heard her yell irately as he drifted over the cliffside before rising out of the range of her high-pitched voice. He laughed to himself and continued his upward ascent, filled with a primal joy that hadn't touched him in years.

"Shit," he said as a few low hanging clouds caught around the wings of the glider, unfurling misty trails into the sky behind him before disappearing. Yuffie might have known the basics of controlling the glider, but for a seasoned pilot like himself it was a completely different experience. "Flyin', just without any of the usual shit getting in the way," he muttered to himself as he broke thorough another cloud, a wide grin stretching over his lips. _This… this is what I always wanted,_ he mused, closing his eyes and savouring the feel of the cold air cutting across his body, whipping his hair away from his face. Not the gliding, though that was the catalyst that shook the dust off of his rusty memories. The feeling of complete and utter freedom, of pure release filled him; for the first time in years, he felt _young_ again, bursting with life and excitement. His eyes cracked open, and the rays of the late afternoon sun washed over him, glinting orange and gold across the jagged ocean waves. _Nothin' can replace this. Not some shitty trip to the stars in a tin can, and not some fuckin' woman all bent over backwards inside of herself._ He smiled to himself, thoughts of Shera occurring to him for the first time without the pain or guilt he usually associated with them. _This is about findin' my own dreams again._

A stray thought tickled past him on the breeze as he lazily circled the glider through the air. "Wonder if the kid knew? Naw, that brat couldn't have…" he mumbled. He checked himself, feeling strangely guilty for referring to her by the old nickname, even if she wasn't around to hear it.

"_It makes me feel… happy,"_ her voice echoed, and a smile crossed his face. Maybe she _did_ know after all.

"Happy? That ain't even the half of it, Yu," he said, circling the glider higher through the air once more.

**.x.x.x.**

Yuffie squinted at the setting sun, her arms folded behind her head as she lay sprawled across the grass. Behind her, her chocobo warbled querulously and with a sigh she raised herself up and reached for her pack. Finding what she was looking for, she threw the giant bird another green and gave him a reassuring pat on the beak.

"Cid sure is taking his sweet time, isn't he," she muttered to the chocobo, stifling a yawn. "Let's hope he decides to come down before it gets dark," she added with a small pout. "I don't wanna have to use up my fire materia just so we find our way back to the fort!" She let out a small sigh of relief as a shadow passed over her briefly and turned her face up, squinting into the sky. Sure enough, the glider sailed gracefully overhead once more before executing a sharp, neat turn and brushing a short distance over the grassy field in a low buzz. "Show off," Yuffie grumbled, her pride still not completely recovered from the fact that Cid could fly the glider with more skill than she had managed.

She blinked as Cid turned the glider and brushed the fields once more, slowly realizing that he might not be showing off after all. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she quickly saddled her chocobo and pulled herself onto its back. Spurring the mount into a run, she kept her eyes directed upwards and tried to pace herself beside the fast-moving glider. Soon, Cid executed another neat turn and was swooping over the field alongside her. The chocobo warbled nervously at his proximity, but Yuffie firmly spurred the beast closer, leaning over precariously and trying to catch the words he was shouting over the rushing of the wind in her ears.

"—amn it! – ast! --- ell do you –and – ece of sh--!"

Yuffie tugged on the reins of her protesting chocobo and forced it closer. The edge of the cliff was fast approaching and she was going to have to either break off or have a very bumpy ride towards the ocean on her already disgruntled mount. "I can't hear you!" she yelled at him. "What's wrong?"

The glider veered slightly closer, and Yuffie caught a glimpse of Cid's red face, his short blond hair whipping wildly around his head as he bellowed at her.

"—the fuck do you land!" he yelled at her. Then with a grimace, he waved at the path in front of her and broke off, ascending into the sky once more. Catching the warning in time, Yuffie veered the chocobo away from the cliffside and looked up, her eyes wide.

"Crap! I knew I was forgetting something important!" she mumbled to herself, squinting into the sky and seeing Cid prepare for another pass over the fields. "Oh no!" she squeaked as he zoomed down. It was the perfect angle for landing with a plane. Then again, planes had wheels and brakes, and Cid… didn't. Kicking her heels into the chocobo, she started to race across the field, once again keeping pace with the low-hanging glider. "Slow down!" she yelled, to no avail. _How the heck did he manage to make it go that fast?_ she thought to herself as her stomach began to churn from the increasing speed. On a good day, her gold chocobo could move over the countryside faster than a dune buggy, producing much the same effect on its rider that the car did. It was, unfortunately for Yuffie, definitely a good day for her nervous chocobo.

Cid had angled the glider over the longest portion of the grassy field, but with his speed and the chocobo's ground-eating strides, the distant forest was drawing closer much too quickly for Yuffie's liking. _I have to get through to him,_ she thought, gritting her teeth. Then, knowing her stomach was going to regret it, she clamped her knees firmly around the chocobo's body and raised herself up off the saddle, letting the reins slip through her fingers. Feeling her release control, the panicked chocobo bucked slightly and suddenly picked up speed, leaving Yuffie feeling woozy. Forcing her stomach back down where it belonged, she maintained her precarious balance and cupped both hands over her mouth.

"Slow down! You gotta stall the glider! Tilt it back, back!" she screamed, motioning wildly with her arms. Cid seemed to get the idea, for almost instantly the glider began slowing to a manageable speed. Unfortunately for Yuffie, the chocobo didn't have the same insight. With a loud yelp she landed back in the saddle, grabbing onto the bird's neck for dear life. "You stupid—birdbrain—hurk!" she bit out, spitting out feathers while blindly reaching for the reins. After a few heart-stopping moments, she felt the leather straps whip through her hands and clutched at them desperately, pulling back with all the strength she could muster. Her chocobo drew up so quickly that she almost went flying over its head, half-hanging out of the saddle as it slowed to a walk. "Goddamnit!" she swore at the bird as she collected herself and tried to push her hair out of her eyes. "I'm gonna castrate you when we get back, you little monster!"

The chocobo warked in alarm and Yuffie barely had time to look up as Cid zipped by her in the glider, his eyes wide. "What? I thought I told him to slow down!" she yelled, spurring her angry chocobo back into a run after him. "There's not enough room for him to land anymore!" she squeaked, panicking as she saw Cid reach the same conclusion and attempt to pull the glider up in time to clear the fast-approaching line of the forest. He was only half-successful, and there was the sound of a loud rip as the back end of the wing caught on one of the taller treetops. It spiralled out of control, disappearing into the thick forest only to be followed by a loud crash moments later.

Yuffie drew her chocobo up short as they reached the edge of the forest, her eyes wide as saucers and her mouth hanging open. "Holy crap… if that didn't kill him, he's gonna kill _me,_" she muttered, flushing. Worry soon overrode her survival instincts, and with a sinking heart she nudged the chocobo forward and began to pick her way through the dense forest to find the crash site and the angry pilot undoubtedly waiting for her within it.

_**AN**: I've never personally been hang gliding before in my life, that's just how I imagine it might feel. Leave a review if you liked it! Like Cid, my guts sometimes threaten to desert me without encouragement._


	4. Old, But Not Dead

**Chapter 4: Old, But Not Dead**

"Cid! Hey, Ciiiid!" Yuffie's loud cry echoed through the woods, and Cid grunted in response. He squeezed his eyes open slowly, closing them again immediately as stars danced across his vision. There was a loud rustle, and then a high-pitched wark as Yuffie burst into the small clearing his crash-landing had created in the dense copse of trees. She was still riding that damn chocobo, he noted with a wince.

"Oh my gawd!" she yelled, vaulting off of the bird and rushing to his side. "Are ya still alive?" she asked nervously as he groaned again and twisted his head to look at her.

"Don't act so fuckin' disappointed," he mumbled as he tried to sit up. A sharp lancing pain in his arm stopped him immediately, and he fell back with a low groan. Probing hands expertly turned him over and checked his body for wounds; Yuffie might have had a loud mouth, but she had learned to be a competent medic during her time with the group. They all had; it was a necessity, considering some of the things they had faced together. He winced as one of her gentle touches sent another spike of pain through his arm. "Shit! Right there!" he grit out painfully. "Damn, I need a smoke," he added as an afterthought, breathing heavily through his mouth.

"You broke your arm," Yuffie concluded, carefully unhooking the glider's harness and pulling it off of him, "and I think you might have a small concussion, too. Geez, Cid, what were you thinking? I thought you had it under control!" Quickly she cleared away the debris around him and balled some of the tattered glider's fabric under his head.

"I did," he muttered, still trying to drive away the dizziness that chased him even behind closed eyelids. "You're the one who was outta control," he added, gesturing vaguely at the chocobo with his good hand. "I was tryin' to stop you, damn little fool. What the hell were you thinkin', pulling a stunt like that on a chocobo?" His low growl held a clear note of anger in it, though the pain prevented him from matching his tone with an equally harsh glare.

Yuffie flushed slightly, though with Cid's eyes closed the effect was lost on him. "I was not out of control!" At his loud snort, she paused in her attempt to remove his bulky jacket and glared at him. "Okay, so maybe I was a little out of control. But I could handle it on my own!" she declared. "I managed to stop, didn't I? That's better than you did!"

This time Cid did crack his eyes open and pin her under a piercing glare. "And whose fuckin' fault is that?" he ground out.

Yuffie balked, squirming under his pointed stare. "Yeah, well, umm, heh heh… at least now you know how not to land!" she mumbled. Seeing that the intensity of his glare wasn't letting up, she busied her nervous fingers with his treatment. "Sorry, that was my fault, wasn't it?" she muttered under her breath. She huffed at Cid's silence, her regret transforming quickly into irritation. "Geez," she added a bit more petulantly, "you've squeezed more apologies out of me in two days than I think I've handed out in my entire life. I hope you feel special now!"

Cid only grunted in response as he surreptitiously studied Yuffie's face, which was pulled into a distracted frown. The reason he hadn't spoken was because he feared his lips might betray more than he wanted them to. They tended to do that when he wasn't thinking with his head, and with Yuffie bending over him, he was definitely not thinking with his head, at least not the one on his shoulders. He tried to ignore the close proximity of her body, focusing on the thrum of pain in his broken arm. The pale skin of her throat, however, was too tempting of a sight to be ignored as she hovered above him, creating a lump in his own. _Yeah, I'd say I'm feel pretty fucking 'special' right now. It's just the goddamn brat! Gotta cool it down. Shit, where's a fuckin' cig when you need it?_ His resolve scattered as her lips formed into the "o" of another one of her tiny pouts and she reached for his chest.

"I'm gonna have to cut your jacket off, Cid," Yuffie mentioned innocently as she reached for the tiny throwing knife she kept hidden in her gauntlet. She sighed as she took his continued silence for anger and sat back, flipping the blade with distracted skill over her knuckles. "I know you're mad and all, but either you're gonna have to let me work, or I'll just use magic to heal you right now. And I wonder how well you'll be able to pilot with one weak stumpy little arm, huh?"

Cid cursed quietly under his breath. He knew she'd follow through on her threat. If he didn't let her set his arm, the materia would heal the break unevenly and leave him with a permanently damaged arm. That wasn't a price he was willing to pay just to bask in his depraved fantasies about Yuffie playing nurse for him. "Shit," he mumbled to himself in defeat. That was his favourite jacket, too. "Well, get it over with," he told her impatiently, wincing as he heard the fabric tear away. There was a short silence as Yuffie worked, and then a tiny giggle. "Somethin' you find amusing about a broken arm?" he growled irritably, cracking an eye open to peer at her.

Yuffie snickered again, pausing to cover her mouth as she snorted in a very unladylike fashion. "No, just… gawd, you're built like Dio under that jacket! Wearing a muscle shirt, too! Why do ya keep it all hidden behind a denim potato sack?" Her chortling died down as she began to inspect his arm once more, trying to probe her way around the fractured bone.

Cid hissed and closed his eyes again, trying to ignore the unexpected ache that bloomed in his chest at her words. "Don't even mention that name in the same sentence with mine!" he grumbled loudly, which only caused Yuffie to start snickering all over again. He was glad his grumpy indignation was enough to distract her, preventing him from giving her an honest answer. _Because of Shera. Because I don't like showin' off around her, because I'm afraid I might scare her off somehow._ Strangely, as he thought about it now, he wondered why he even bothered. Wearing the jacket hadn't seemed to make a whit of difference when he was in her bedroom that night. _And why the hell do I have to do the hidin' all the time?_ he thought sourly. _Shit, even Yuffie doesn't mind seeing—_

"Aww, fuck," Cid groaned out loud as his libido resumed its previous path. Yuffie's presence helpfully reminded him that one small oasis of relief in nine years of living side by side with Shera was hardly enough to keep a man content. Granted, he had spent four of those years convincing himself that he was disgusted by her very presence, but that didn't mean he didn't have eyes. Eyes that were currently focused a little too intently on the young ninja before him. He shut them quickly as the unsuspecting propagator of his discomfort jumped at the violent intensity of his curse.

"Sorry, I'll be a little more careful next time!" she said quickly, drawing her hand away from the wound. "Well, the break's not that bad, so I think I can fix this up right now if you want…"

"Go find a splint," Cid grunted roughly, trying to get her to back away so he could recover his composure and pride. Yuffie sat back, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously instead of following his brusque command. Cid twitched slightly before rolling himself to a seated position despite the pain in his arm and the tiny bursts of light that were firing behind his eyes. He welcomed the pain; pain was a better distraction than Yuffie. Only barely, though.

"Uh, Cid, I really don't think you should be—"

"Just shut up and get me a goddamn splint, woman!" Cid barked at her, his patience frayed by his aching arm, pounding head and disobedient imagination.

Yuffie sat back, her eyes wide. Her mouth opened and closed a few times soundlessly, and Cid managed hold his gaze steady long enough to stare at her in exasperation. "What?" he asked, too tense to attach his customary expletives to the query.

"You… you called me a…"

Realizing his slip, Cid ground his teeth together and quickly looked away. "Splint!" he all but shouted at her, avoiding her curious gaze. There was a beat of silence, then he heard her indignant sigh.

"Yes, SIR!" Yuffie fired back sarcastically, giving him a mock salute before scrambling to her feet. "I don't know why I put up with you sometimes," she mumbled under her breath darkly as she scrounged around debris for an appropriately-sized metal rod. Tearing a few long strips of fabric from the damaged wings of the hang glider, she brought them back to the blonde and settled by his side. "I hope this hurts. A lot," she said sourly as she prepared to snap the bone in his arm back into place. She looked up in surprise as Cid brushed her hand away with a small grunt.

"S'okay," he said gruffly, feeling suddenly guilty for sending a clueless Yuffie into her bad mood. _She's just an innocent kid… and you're one sick bastard,_ he told himself sourly, wrapping his good hand around his throbbing forearm. "I'll do it myself."

Yuffie stared at Cid in surprise. "You're crazy! That's gonna hurt even more than if I do it, and I'm mad at you!" she told him. "I bet you'll faint on me," she added with a small smirk.

"Shut up, I ain't gonna pass out like some little girl," Cid growled defensively. Then, before he could think too deeply on it he squeezed his arm tightly, forcing the bone back into place. "Aaah!" he yelled as the tiny sparkles of light that danced at the corners of vision became a full-blown electrical show, complete with tap-dancing elephants. Blood pounded in his ears and he fell backwards into the blissful darkness of unconsciousness.

Yuffie grunted as she caught him, letting out a few curses of her own as she tried to lower him back onto the forest floor as gently as possible. "Heavy jerk," she mumbled as she released him and carefully bound his arm to the pole she had gathered. "Heavy, thick-skulled, foul-mouthed, muscle-bound, spiky-haired blue-eyed jerk," she mused, her insults trailing off into more thoughtful observations. "Hey, you know you look a lot more relaxed all passed out like that," she added conversationally to his still body. "It kinda makes you look younger." Finished with the splint, she timidly placed a finger against his stubble-dusted chin. The finger trailed its way up his cheekbone as Yuffie leaned over to study his face more closely. "Hmm… you know you aren't half bad looking when you're not cussing out something." His breathing was deep and even, and Yuffie found herself leaning closer, suddenly fascinated by the sight of his faintly parted lips and the warm pull of his breath. It was only when the tie of her headband slipped over her shoulder and smacked him in the temple that she realized how close she was and drew back hastily, her face flaming red.

"Ohmygawd, ohmygawd, ohmygawd Yu!" she wheezed, scrabbling away from Cid's body quickly. "That's so gross! That's… like… CID! He's almost as old as Godo! He's practically married to Shera! He's… he's…" Her breathing slowed down as she realized that Cid wasn't going to suddenly leap up and accuse her of fondling at him as he slept, and that no one but the chocobo had witnessed her lapse. "… he's still hurt," she said finally, pinching her cheeks firmly and trying to control the rush of surprise and embarrassment she felt. "Oh my gawd," she repeated again, her cheeks still burning. "At least he passed out before I did that!" Feeling around on her armband for her healing materia, she pushed against it gently and closed her eyes. "Curaga," she murmured. With a gentle tug the magic was drawn out, whirling upwards in a soft green trail of sparks that danced around her before falling in his direction. When she opened her eyes again she felt drained and tired, but a little colour had returned to Cid's pallid skin and his breathing had the slow, even rhythm of deep sleep rather than insentience. With a sigh, she pulled herself back to his side and looked down at the huge man sleeping peacefully beside her.

"We gotta get you outta here," she mumbled to herself as she squinted at the sky overhead. "Shoot… I think it's too late to get back to Fort Condor tonight. I wonder where we are, anyway…" Taking Cid's sliced jacket, she carefully placed it over his chest and stood up, dusting herself off. Pointing a finger at the chocobo, she glared at it sternly. "You! Stay! Don't cause any more trouble today or we'll be having chocobo wings for dinner tonight!" Then, skipping back, she took a running start towards the nearest tree. Springing forward, she caught a low hanging branch and swung herself up. Then, with a little effort and a lot of cursing, she scrabbled towards the top of the tree, trying to ignore the rough bark and sharp branches as they caught on her clothing and scratched at her exposed skin. Within moments she broke through the forest canopy and scanned their surroundings with a critical eye. As expected, Fort Condor was little more than a blurry speck in the distance, already cloaked in deep shadows from the setting sun. Turning her back to the ocean, Yuffie squinted and looked across the darkening forest. The huge mountains of Junon were also nothing more than darkened lumps against the horizon, and with a small squeak of frustration Yuffie spun once more, searching for any kind of recognizable landmark she could find.

She almost missed it, considering how overgrown the entire area had become; the jagged skeleton of an abandoned mako plant rising only slightly above the taller of the trees. The familiar gutted structure brought a smile to her face, and carefully marking the direction, she shimmied back down the tree. "Well," she said conversationally as she began the arduous task of slinging Cid's limp body onto the chocobo, "it looks like our little vacation is about to get a lot more interesting."

**.x.x.x.**

Yuffie smiled nervously, ignoring the stares their entrance generated in the small town. It wasn't every day that two of the most famous celebrities in the entire world wandered into a tiny village with a prize-winning gold chocobo. It was even rarer for one of said celebrities to be unconscious and gracelessly slung across the back of the bird. On the plus side, it was already late dusk, so there weren't actually that many villagers still outside to gawk at them.

"I could just see the headlines tomorrow if there were," Yuffie muttered to herself with a quiet groan. She made her way quickly to the inn, tethering her chocobo and grunting quietly as she pulled Cid off of the saddle. They both looked worse for the wear, scratched, dirty and probably smelling only faintly better than the chocobo outside. And, though Yuffie had managed to salvage what she could from the remains of the decimated hang glider, they were completely out of supplies. She hadn't been planning on anything more than a lazy afternoon in the skies and Cid hadn't even had the chance to eat a decent meal that day, let alone pack some spare gil. So it was with some relief that she recognized the innkeeper who opened the door after she tapped on it.

"Yes… oh! Is that _the_ Yuffie Kisaragi?" asked a frail voice as the old man adjusted his spectacles in surprise.

"The one and only!" Yuffie answered with a strained smile, struggling to hold up Cid's weight in her arms. "Ya think we can come in, pops?"

"Oh… oh my! And Cid Highwind, too! Oh dear, is something wrong with him?"

Yuffie grit her teeth and decided that she'd save the pleasantries for later, perhaps when her arms didn't feel like they were going to be pulled clean away from their sockets. Pushing past the old man, she deposited the pilot into a hastily proffered chair and gratefully sagged into another. Catching her breath and watching the kind-faced old man from under her eyelashes, she considered her next move.

Kind-faced the innkeeper might have been, but Yuffie still remembered exactly how much gil he had charged them for the guest room the last time AVALANCHE stomped through the village. _Time to lay on the sauce,_ she thought wearily. _I wouldn't mind camping out for the night in the woods on my own, but then again…_ Her eyes slid over to Cid's slumped form, and she let out a guilty sigh. _You better appreciate this, Cid Highwind._ Then she sprang to her feet, a sugar-sweet smile on her face as she addressed the curious old man. "So, pops, how ya been these past few years…?"

Some time later, Yuffie's fast talking had managed to convince the doddering old man to loan them a room free of charge. Only one, however; kind as he seemed, he was as poor as the other residents of the village, and poverty made for shrewd businessmen. Hauling Cid up the stairs to the tiny room wasn't exactly Yuffie's idea of fun, either; by the time she had settled him comfortably into the only bed, she was sure she felt worse than he looked. After making sure that both of his boots were properly removed, she dragged the quilt over him and then scooted the uncomfortable wooden chair next to the bed before dropping herself into it. She barely had the energy to unbuckle her own shoulder guard and gauntlet, and as she looked at the many laces on her knee-high boots, she let out a tiny sigh of exasperation and gave up. "Oh man, I'm so tired I could fall asleep right now," Yuffie moaned out loud. "Guess I deserve it for not telling you how to stop, though," she laughed nervously.

As expected, Cid gave no response other than a loud snore. "Lucky bastard," Yuffie mumbled enviously. Unconsciously, her mouth opened into a wide yawn as she watched him sleep, and her eyelids began to droop shut. Her head nodded forward, and her chin hit her chest. With a snap, she pulled herself awake and blinked blearily. The checked pattern of the quilt before her eyes looked too inviting to resist, and this time when her head dropped forward, it was cradled in her arms against the quilt.

A gentle thump against his hip roused Cid from his deep sleep. Grumbling under his breath, he ignored it and tried to let himself ease back into his peaceful slumber. A deep growl from his empty stomach circumvented that idea, and with an angry grunt, his eyes popped open. An unfamiliar cracked wooden ceiling greeted him, and he sat up quickly. At least, he tried to. Halfway up his motion was checked by the sight of Yuffie bent over uncomfortably at his bedside, still sitting in the chair but with her head buried in her arms on the edge of the bed. It was a position that would have given him stomach cramps just trying to reach, but apparently the girl was either flexible enough or exhausted enough not to care. Her breathing was punctuated by gentle snores, which brought a smile to his face.

"She must have hauled my ass up here after I passed out," he muttered to himself, deciding to let Yuffie sleep a little more as he shifted his leg away from her head. He took in the vaguely familiar surroundings more carefully, trying to place where exactly 'here' was. After a moment, his memory clicked and he gave another wince as he recognized their surroundings. "Damn, straight outta one backwater country shithole and right into another," he muttered. Much as he wanted to get away, Cid didn't actually relish the idea of spending too much time in a small village with Yuffie. It wasn't the area itself, but rather the penchant of the local colour to talk. Alone, it wasn't so bad, but he could almost hear the gossip once the word spread that he and Yuffie were holed up together in a remote place like this one. And in the same room, with only one bed to boot.

"I should smack you seven ways into next week, kid," Cid grunted as his gaze fell back onto Yuffie's head. Her mouth had fallen open as her arms were displaced from his movement, and to his growing amusement a small pile of drool was collecting at the corner of her lips. Any remaining anger at the little ninja deserted him completely as he gingerly touched his arm; it was still tender and needed to be kept in a sling for at least a day, but it would heal cleanly. Likewise, the throbbing in his head had disappeared completely. "Must've been a whopper of a healin' spell you cast," he noted, realizing why she was so tired. He sat back against the headboard with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "What the hell have you gotten me into, Yuffie?" he asked her grumpily. Hearing her full name slip from his lips unintentionally surprised him more than he cared to admit, and he scowled at the lapse. He snuck another glance at Yuffie's head, and the scowl softened slightly.

She looked so very different when she was asleep, her features relaxed and unguarded. Usually sleep wiped the years away from a person's appearance, but on Yuffie it had the opposite effect. Without her constant smirks or the wide teasing grins distorting her expression, he was able to note the gentle slope of her brow and the delicate tilt of her nose. Five years had slowly worn away the roundness of her cheeks and replaced them with high cheekbones and a gently sloping jaw supported by a slender, graceful neck. She really had grown up when they weren't looking, he realized with a start. If she would only bother to remove that ridiculous headband and throw on something besides those tiny shorts, she might actually look like a young woman instead of an overgrown teenager.

Not that he actually minded the shorts.

Cid felt his body growing warm and suddenly decided that it might not be the best of ideas to remain in the same room with the sleeping ninja. Carefully, he tried to extract himself from the bed and froze as Yuffie stirred.

"Ow… ow ow ow, my neck," she winced as she lifted herself up and placed a hand on the back of her neck, stretching. She didn't notice Cid's burning gaze as she extended her other arm above her head, completing the stretch, though she did smile sleepily when she saw spotted him. "Oh hey! Finally! So are you feeling any better now?" she asked.

_Hell no!_ he thought, biting back the sarcastic observation before it could escape his lips. "How the hell'd you get us a room for the night?" he asked her gruffly instead, wincing at the implications his mind immediately drew from the bad phrasing.

Yuffie rolled her eyes, rising out of the uncomfortable chair and bending over while stretching her stiff legs, something which didn't help improve Cid's mood or vocabulary at all. "Oh, you know me. A little wink and a whole lotta leg and the innkeeper was putty in my hands!" she replied, raising her fingers to her lips and blowing an imaginary kiss into the air.

Feeling a surge of discomfort at her blasé attitude, he covered with a smirk and gestured at the tiny room. "Try to put out a little fuckin' more next time," he told her snidely. "Then maybe you can land us a bigger room. Or were you plannin' on sharing this bed with me all along?" Cid's jaw snapped shut quickly; the last sentence had slipped out unintentionally and he wondered what she would make of it. He suddenly hoped Yuffie would give him a swift kick in the nuts, injured arm or not. Pain might not have been a better distraction, but it was certainly a safer one. To his chagrin, Yuffie simply blinked in surprise and then shifted her weight slightly. She placed her hand suggestively on her hip and stared at him with a smirk of her own.

"Sorry, but you're right. I couldn't really concentrate on him when I had such a _big_ distraction right next to me," she cooed at him in a sultry voice.

Cid swallowed, feeling the lump rise in his throat again. _What the hell am I doing?_ he thought to himself as he met Yuffie's challenging stare. He couldn't back down now; his pride wouldn't let him. But he wondered if she knew just how dangerous of a game she was playing. He felt himself replying before he could stop himself. "You sure you can handle me, little girl?" he replied, his voice lower than normal and filled with heat.

Yuffie remained motionless, regarding him with the same appreciative stare that made his fingers itch and rational thought vacate in place of wild fantasy. Then she doubled over, her howling laughter filling the room. Cid drew his eyebrows together in annoyance as her shoulders shook from the force of her guffaws.

"Oh my gawd! You should see your face right now!" she gasped out, stumbling towards the bed as she wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. "_Can you handle me little girl,_" she repeated in a low voice, waving her arms dramatically. "That's priceless! I didn't think you had it in ya!" she giggled.

Cid's jaw clenched, his gaze hard and unwavering as he felt the blood beginning to pound in his temples.

Yuffie was still snorting lightly, though her laughter was dying out as she noticed his tense silence. "Heh heh… yeah… 'cause that was really funny, you know… you and me, like we'd actually ever… well, you know… except you're not laughing… heh…" Her voice trailed off and she suddenly felt very self conscious under his furious glare. She tugged at the high hem of her shorts uncertainly, wishing for once that she had actually listened to Godo when he scolded her about her skimpy choice of attire.

"Yuffie," Cid grit out.

"Umm… what?" she replied, her face pale and her voice barely louder than a mouse's squeak.

"Shut up."

Then his good hand was wrapped around her forearm and she was stumbling forward, falling against him as he crushed his lips into hers violently. Her eyes were wide with shock and her jaw dropped, something she regretted immediately as his tongue took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself and slipped inside her mouth.

_Gotta stop… what the hell am I doin'?_ Cid asked himself again as he hungrily bit into Yuffie's lower lip. He lapped his tongue over the impression his teeth had made, satisfying the curiosity that had plagued him since he first noticed her alluring pout. His mind's instructions to stop were all well and good, but it seemed that his body was not going to be inclined to listen to them anytime soon. And his body was definitely winning the battle for control, especially when he felt her chest brush against his. She had shed her shoulder armour earlier, and without the thick denim of his jacket between them he could feel every curve of her lean torso. _So soft,_ he thought with surprise; for some reason he'd always thought Yuffie's body would be hard and bony. Instead she was full of deliciously soft curves and taut muscles. A woman's body. It was a pleasant surprise that send his fingers eagerly dancing over the swell of her hips to see if he could unearth any other tantalizing secrets. _Holy fuck… she's gonna throw me off any minute now and call me a sick old bastard,_ he thought with a twinge of apprehension. He couldn't bring himself to care, though, continuing to thrust his tongue greedily into her open mouth as his calloused fingers stroked what exposed skin they could find.

A muffled murmur of protest slowed his hands down, and he pulled back enough to allow Yuffie to suck in a shaky, gasping breath of air. "Cid—" she began, her eyes still wide and shining like twin moons in her pale face.

He covered her mouth with his own almost immediately; in part because hearing her say his name in that breathy, high-pitched voice of hers made him want to do things to her that were most likely illegal in most cities, but more because of the sudden, raw panic that gripped him. He had crossed the line with Yuffie, and he wasn't yet ready to face her recrimination. He kissed her with all of the emotion that he had kept bottled up through the years; the desperate, yearning need that he had always wanted to show to Shera but had never been allowed to. He kissed her and hoped that it would keep the real world at bay for just a few precious moments longer. It was suddenly no longer a kiss fuelled by his lust, but rather his desperation.

After a few moments, a nagging sensation pulled Cid back from his headlong dive into their kiss, allowing him to regain a shaky control over himself. In what was perhaps the biggest shock of his entire life, he finally realized what exactly was bothering him. Yuffie wasn't pulling away.

_**AN**: Whoa, I think this chapter has more sexual tension packed into it than all of my other stories combined. Well, I hope it reads like that at least. For the love of chocobos, leave a review if you liked it, and please let me know if you catch some spelling or grammar errors anywhere. I swear, I proofread, but I keep finding all these little mistakes in the text._


	5. Some Kind of Fuckin' Pair

**Chapter 5: Some Kind of Fuckin' Pair **

Yuffie mumbled slightly in protest as Cid's hands stopped roaming and settled firmly around her waist. If she had been surprised by the first kiss, then she would definitely have to class the second as coma-inducing. She certainly didn't feel conscious; the mixture of shock, fear and guilty pleasure that his touch aroused in her left her willingly limp in his arms. In fact the only part of her that seemed to be totally awake was the sensitive skin on her lips, which was still tingling with electricity as he pressed against them. _Cid is kissing me? I must still be sleeping, 'cause he'd never do that for real. I wonder when I'm gonna wake up? Hopefully not anytime soon…_

Gradually, she noticed that he was no longer clutching her with the frustrated desperation he had before. She felt her eyebrow tick slightly. _Hmm, dream-Cid. Go back to the first part already, this isn't in the plan!_ Apparently she needed to work on bossing her hallucinations around because instead of listening to her his grip loosened even more, though their kiss did not. The nature of it changed, however; now it seemed like he was hesitating, as if waiting for her to do something. _I always thought these kind of dreams took you by surprise,_ she mused suspiciously to herself. _There's no way this is really happening! No way!_ Still, she cautiously kept herself slack and waited for his reaction as the possibility began to dawn on her that she was still awake. Noticing her lack of response, she felt the pilot grow tense.

When Cid jerked away from her suddenly, Yuffie stubbornly kept her eyes closed, hoping that maybe she could just ignore that little thing called reality if she didn't have to see it. Her mind had slowed down to a sluggish crawl at the point where she had realized he was not laughing, and frozen over completely once his lips touched hers. Reality was, in Yuffie's opinion, much too loud and bright for her to deal with in her current state. Her clever plan to avoid it and get back to her pleasant dream was foiled as she felt Cid push her away from himself, albeit more gently than she expected him to. Legs folding underneath her almost automatically, she slumped onto the edge of the mattress and became very aware of just how small the little bed actually was.

"Hey, kid…" Cid's voice sounded rougher than normal and unusually hesitant. Yuffie winced slightly and kept her eyes screwed shut.

A soft curse, and then, if possible, an even gentler tone… at least as gentle as any sound coming out of Cid's mouth could be.

"C'mon, Yu. Will you just look at me?"

She trembled briefly at the sound of his voice; it was true, she didn't like being called a brat, but suddenly the use of her pet Wutanese name was an uncomfortable reminder of the boundary of friendship that had not only breached, but recklessly flown over without a second thought. His touch had been real, too real, and she was still trying to muddle through the shock of it. Opening her eyes would have meant coming to a decision about how she felt about his kiss and its implications. She was terrified of what that decision would be because Cid was, in her opinion, a very good kisser.

"I don't wanna," she answered, hating the way it made her sound like a petulant child.

There was a long silence, and then another, more quiet curse. "Fuck… Shera was right," she heard him mumble. That made her eyes pop open.

"What?" she exclaimed, her head snapping towards him. Hearing Shera's name was like being dumped into a cold shower, instantly chasing away the foggy haze he had created in their moment of shared intimacy. Cid was doubled over, both hands wound tightly through his short crop of hair. "What's she got to do with any of this?" Yuffie added with a little more indignation.

"I'm a fuckin' sick horny bastard, that's what," Cid ground out, staring angrily at the quilt in front of him. "No wonder she don't want me touchin' her," he spat out suddenly, his hands clenching. "I can't even keep my goddamn paws off of a little kid!" A look of disgust was rising on his face, and he was so caught up in his self-loathing that he didn't see the flash of anger that crossed Yuffie's own. He felt the slap as it connected, though. Yuffie hadn't held back, and he turned his head back slowly while rubbing his sore jaw. "Guess I deserved that," he said bitterly.

"Right," Yuffie said, her eyes burning. Her face was still unnaturally pale, but the colour had returned to her cheeks in two bright red splotches. "Damn it, Cid, I'm not a little kid! I would've thought you knew that already, what with you feeling me up just a second ago and all!" she yelled shrilly.

Cid let his head fall backwards, beating it against the headboard a few times. "Don't remind me," he groaned. Then he shot up off stiffly, his eyes widening as he stared at her, as though suddenly remembering she was there. "Oh, shit, Yuffie— I didn't mean—when I—when we-- ah, fuck it, just forget about it alright? Forget this shit ever happened."

Yuffie was trembling even more violently at this point, her expression one of utter rage. "Oh… my… GAWD!" she hissed at him. "Are you even listening to yourself? First you grab me and give me the best kiss of my entire life, then you compare me to Shera and call me a child, then you act like I'm not even here, and then you try to tell me just to forget about it all?" She balled up a fist and leaned over, punching him in the shoulder for good measure. "Stop acting like a prick!" she yelled.

Cid had finally lowered his hands from his head and was staring at her. "That was the best kiss of your life, huh?" he mumbled with a note of surprised pleasure. Then he winced and swore, his voice gaining volume. "Aww, shit, I mean, no! Where the hell do you get off thinkin' I compared ya to Shera, kid?"

Yuffie crossed her arms and flipped her head away from him, still fuming. "There you go with the kid stuff again," she growled. "Am I a kid to you or not? Make up your mind!"

His gut clenched, and Cid glared at Yuffie. "Make up your own first!" he shouted at her. Yuffie was good at that, pushing his buttons and making it easy to forget that he was the one who had initiated the kiss. "Battin' your eyelashes at me, stickin' out your lip all the time and usin' that sexy little voice on me? And those goddamn shorts! What the hell's a man supposed to think!" he bellowed.

This time Yuffie fell silent, a look of utter shock blanketing her face. "You think I have a sexy voice?" she finally asked, gaping at him. "Since when? You guys always told me I sounded like a whiny little brat!"

Cid rubbed the back of his neck and looked away uncomfortably. "Well, you grew up, okay? There, I said it," he grumbled, sneaking a quick look back at Yuffie. He turned his head and looked at her directly as he noticed the hesitant smile quirking at the corners of her lips. The colour was returning to her cheeks, and the soft expression flitting across her face made her look cute. He mentally slapped himself in chagrin and then dragged his eyes away from her lips. "So where the hell does that put us exactly?" he grumbled, though without any real anger behind the question.

The twist of her lips smoothed out, leaving Yuffie looking unusually pensive. "I don't know," she admitted, daring a glance at his face. Seeing his grimace, she smiled shyly. "Umm… but yeah. That was a pretty good kiss."

Cid looked down at his hands, his fingers flexing. He still remembered the tremble in her shoulders when he called her name, just as clearly as he remembered Shera's flinch; he had to be sure. "You weren't scared, then," he said, keeping his eyes fixed on his hands.

She caught the almost undetectable note of vulnerability in his voice. Her brows furrowed slightly, unsure of why he was even asking her the question. Yuffie didn't like it when Cid looked uncertain; he was the Captain, the loudmouth of the group but also their rock of stability in even the worst of times. That was what she wanted him to be, and vaguely, she realized that was also what he needed to be for himself. Still, it was obvious that a lot was riding on her answer, including a good portion of that stability they had all come to depend on. _I'll just have to give him the right one then,_ she thought to herself. She _had_ been scared when their lips had first met, but probably not for the same reasons she suspected he was thinking. Moistening her lips, she picked out her words carefully.

"Hey, Cid… don't beat yourself up about it. I was only teasing 'cause I thought you didn't see me like that." She hesitated and her voice cracked slightly, but she forced herself to keep speaking. _He needs this more than you need your pride, Yu. Come on, you spilled your guts to Cloud about it before, telling Cid should be a piece of cake._ Unconsciously, her back stiffened as she drew herself up. "I… well, you know, no one sees me like that. Not even in Wutai. Not even when I try." She twisted her fingers together, squirming under the weight of his intense scrutiny and her cheeks flushed pink. "So it was a little different for me, even if you normal people do this all the time. I think… I think I kinda liked it." She squeezed her eyes shut and flashed an embarrassed smile in his direction. "Umm, so now you know. You better not blackmail me about this or you'll never see another piece of materia as long as ya live!" She laughed lightly, unable to completely hide the tension in her small frame.

Cid was staring at Yuffie in shock. He had managed to process her words, and on some level how much it cost her to say them out loud. However his mind was stuck on a rather simplistic route. _No one? But… damn, what about those shorts?_ An uncomfortable silence settled over the room, and he noticed that she was holding the bed quilt in a white-knuckled grip. He knew she took it pretty hard when Cloud turned away her advances, but so much that she'd take a hormone-induced kiss from a guy twice her age as a compliment? He was suddenly embarrassed, feeling more than ever like a dirty old man taking advantage of an emotional young child. But at least she wasn't frightened of him. He grunted to himself, caught between trying to give her some kind of supportive reply without digging himself any deeper into the hole he had created. The decision was taken from him as Yuffie sprang to her feet.

"Well, I'm hungry, how about you?" she said a little too loudly, a bright smile pasted to her face. She still hadn't opened her eyes, speaking quickly as she backed away from the bed. "Seein' as we don't have any gil and all, guess I better use those charms of mine to get us some food, right?"

Cid frowned, pulling off the quilt and rising to his feet as she reached the door. She was running away, and they both knew it. "Yu, wait—" He froze as Yuffie whipped her head back and forth in an emphatic shake.

"Naw, you stay here," she told him hurriedly. "I can do this on my own!" Her eyes cracked open at that point, and her smile faltered slightly. She had been expecting humiliation after her confession; however, it still came as a faint surprise how much his silence afterwards had really hurt. She held his questioning gaze steadily, however, sensing that he was also standing on a dangerous precipice and that a few careless words could easily toss him over the edge. "I'll be fine, Cid. Really," she reassured him. Then, quickly, she slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her, letting the air rush out of her lungs in a loud whoosh as she leaned against it. "Fine as long as you don't look at me like that," she mumbled, collecting herself and striding towards the stairway. _Like you actually care._

**.x.x.x.**

Cid looked up sharply as the sound of the opening door caught him by surprise. He had been standing at the window of the dingy room for a while, staring absently into the night sky and wondering if Yuffie was actually going to come back at all. He hadn't been expecting her to even bother, much less arrive with the bulging sack that was slung over her shoulder.

"I'm home!" she called out in a sing-song voice, careful to keep it pitched low to avoid waking the innkeeper. "And I come bearing gifts," she added, throwing the sack onto the bed, where it spilled open. A small assortment of fruits rolled out, and in mutual understanding they both forewent conversation and dove for the food, tearing into the cold meal hungrily.

When the sharp edge of hunger had finally been dulled, Cid spit out the apple core in his mouth and dared a glance at the girl who was studiously ignoring him. "Yuffie, you know damn well we need to talk."

Yuffie, who had seated herself on the floor next to the bed, shrugged slightly and took another large bite out of the pear she was holding. She had been busy stuffing her cheeks so much that conversation would be impossible. It was a decision she was starting to regret as she noticed Cid wasn't being fooled. Under the weight of his level stare, she felt self-conscious once more and tried to swallow the large bite all at once. That was a mistake that resulted in a very inelegant mixture of gasping, choking and coughing as tears sprung out of her eyes. _Smooth, Yuffie, _she thought to herself angrily as she swiped at her face in embarrassment. _Way to show him all that supposed maturity._ She sighed angrily at herself, wondering why she even cared what he thought. When she looked at Cid, however, her mouth dropped open. "Are you laughing at me?" she huffed, forgetting her sudden shyness.

"Yeah," he said carelessly, leaning back against the headboard and stretching a leg across the bed. "Wouldn't be so easy to do if you didn't keep handin' me cannon fodder on a silver platter," he added with a cheeky grin.

Yuffie spluttered and pointed a finger at him. "That's not nice! In case you didn't notice, there's this little problem of YOU JUMPING ME still between us and you're not making it any easier to talk about!" Yuffie dropped her pear suddenly and clapped her hands over her mouth, paling and then flushing in rapid succession, before hunching her shoulders forward with a miserable groan. "Ugh, alright, so your evil little plan worked. Well, let's talk."

Cid grunted in satisfaction, casually reaching for another apple. He had been thinking of a way to break the tension between them for most of the evening, and finally decided that acting normally would help them both. _Shit… I ain't no goddamn lovesick puppy, and that's just Yuffie,_ he told himself. The "just" fell away as she looked up at him earnestly, her elbows balanced on the edge of the bed and head tilted at a slight angle as she propped her chin into one curled palm. _Don't fuck this up,_ he told himself sternly. He twisted the apple around in his hands aimlessly, struggling for words. "I shouldn't have done that to ya," he mumbled gruffly. "That was one of the biggest fuckin' mistakes I ever made," he added. Yuffie remained silent, and his lip curled slightly in a self-depreciating smirk. "I don't usually make a habit of fuckin' around in other peoples' heads, ki— Yu… ffie. You gotta believe that much at least." _Shit,_ he cursed silently. He was blathering and he knew it. _Why won't she stop staring at me with those big damn eyes?_

"I believe you," Yuffie said quietly, quashing his rising panic. "Would you believe me if I told you I didn't regret it?" She swallowed heavily but forced herself not to blink as a different flavour of tension grew even thicker around them. "Being kissed by you, I mean. I'm glad it happened. I couldn't have asked for a better first kiss, really." She felt the colour rising to her face and snapped her eyes shut, grinning at Cid. "Even if it was from a gross old fart like you," she quipped.

"Old fart…" he trailed off, glaring at her despite the tide of relief that was flooding through his body. Cid felt light-headed, as though he had been a guilty man on trial and was suddenly being acquitted. The thought that he might have damaged her somehow had been a heavier weight on his shoulders than he cared to admit. "Yeah, well I didn't hear ya complain' about it at the time," he reminded her with a smirk. Then he lifted an eyebrow. "That was really your first kiss?" He let out an oath of surprise as Yuffie nodded at him with a bit more of the usual twinkle in her eyes. "Yeah, well. Sorry about takin' it away from you like that," he told her gruffly. "I know you girls think that kinda shit is important." It took a lot of effort for him to cover up the self-satisfied grin that kept threatening to break through his forced scowl at the thought. _Heh, wonder what else I could get to be first at with Yuffie…_

"Fuckin' hell!" he burst out vehemently, causing Yuffie to jump and stare at him.

"Geez, relax a little, Cid, it was just a kiss!" she told him, rolling her eyes. "I already told ya it was fine. I swear, when did Vincent become the male role model for the group? Is Barret gonna stop by and start moaning about what an awful dad he's been to Marlene next?"

Cid let out a curt laugh, shaking his head. "Forget about it, Yu. Sometimes you just gotta ignore this motor mouth of mine."

Yuffie scrunched her nose together and reached for the sack, carefully collecting the remaining fruits on the bed and stashing them away safely. "Naw, I'd rather not. I like it when you cuss," she admitted with a tiny smile. "Besides, I learn something new every day! Aren't you proud of being such a bad influence on me?" she snickered, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Just don't tell yer dad it was me," he said, finding a grin slowly working across his own face. He watched her gather their supplies and pile them neatly in the corner, battling with his conflicting feelings towards the little ninja. On the one hand, she had said she didn't mind when he kissed her. So maybe she wouldn't mind if he did it again? Her young, lithe body hadn't lost its appeal; if anything, having touched it so briefly made his fingers ache greedily for more. On the other hand, he already felt like enough of a bastard for having kissed her at all. He didn't want to destroy the fragile understanding they'd managed to reach so far with another blundering advance. A question nagged him incessantly, and after a moment of consideration he deemed it safe enough to voice. "Why the hell do you like it when I cuss anyway?" he asked her, watching as she pulled a large sheet of what was previously the glider's wing away from their small pile of belongings in the corner.

Yuffie paused and looked up, her eyebrows raised. "You mean it isn't obvious?" she asked. "It always makes me laugh!" She bobbed her head slightly as she shook out the cloth, a smile playing about her lips. "You could bring a sailor to his knees with that mouth of yours! That's so cool, I wish I could do it too!"

Cid thought she could bring a lot of men to their knees with her mouth, though cussing probably wouldn't have been her weapon of choice. The thought made him grimace with a pang of protective jealousy even as it tempted him. _Ah hell… I thought I got that all out with the kiss._ The pilot allowed himself a mental groan of resignation as he cast about for something to distract him from his increasing physical discomfort around Yuffie. Unfortunately, she provided him with a distraction that he rather would not have faced.

"Why doesn't Shera like it when you swear?" Yuffie asked quietly, her hands stilling on the fabric as she looked up at him. "It's practically a part of you, isn't it?"

_Shera._ He knew there was a reason he had been feeling like shit earlier. His faced dropped into a hard scowl and his lips clamped shut. Mostly, his frustration was directed at the fact that he couldn't come up with a good answer for Yuffie's fairly obvious question. He had tried to cut back on his swearing around the other woman in recent years, but it was a habit that was hard to break. He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling suddenly tired once again. "I guess she's still hung up on the way I used to treat her before," he said after some consideration. He snorted, feeling angry with himself once more. "You can only call a person fuckin' worthless for so long before they start to take exception," he added wryly.

"Still on that?" Yuffie said, turning to face him and planting her hands on her hips. "Geez, you really are like Vincent, Cid. It's been five years since then. You know she loves you."

"Does she?" Cid fired back, his head shooting up as he glared at her. "You don't know the things I've done to her," he thundered. "Those first four years… damn… I hated her so much, I kept on dishin' it out and she just ate it all up like some kinda fuckin' saint." He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to ease the constricting pain that had risen around his chest. "Don't know if I can ever make it up to her. Don't even know if she wants me to anymore."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Yuffie said softly, her eyes drifting down to the makeshift blanket in her hands. "A woman can forgive a lot of things if she's in love," she added gently, looking at the ground but not really seeing it.

Cid looked at her sharply, and realized she was thinking about a mass of blonde hair and blue eyes. With a slight pang, he understood that it wasn't him. He laughed abruptly, cutting through the sudden moody silence that had filled the room and bringing her attention back up to him. "Well, don't we just make the fuckin' pair," he said wryly, meeting her eyes. She smirked back at him.

"Things will look better in the morning," Yuffie answered, throwing her arms out and sending the blanket flapping through the air. It settled on the floor in a semi-messy sheet, and she threw a few more scraps of cloth down to act as pillows. "That's what I always tell myself, anyway," she added, straightening up. Then, clapping her hands together, she gave him a bright smile. "Now, will you please get your butt off of that bed and kindly use the one I've just spent so much time carefully preparing for you?" she added, gesturing at the arrangement on the floor.

Cid raised his eyebrows and looked at the uncomfortable-looking pile of cloth on the hard wooden floor. Not only was it barely large enough to cover him, it was also made of the squeaky, uncomfortable glider nylon. The whole setup made the old, rickity bed in the room look like the lap of luxury by comparison. "Oh hell no," he said, hauling his other leg up onto the bed arrogantly. "You can sleep in that, kid. I'm an injured old man, remember?"

"Well seeing as how you're such a fan of sleeping with your boots on, I thought you wouldn't mind roughing it tonight," Yuffie declared, squinting angrily at the pilot. When he didn't budge, her mouth formed into a sullen pout and she tapped her foot angrily against the floor. "Okay, it's not funny anymore! It's like three in the morning and I've just spent all night hauling you up here, getting ki… umm, getting all worked up earlier AND stealing us dinner afterwards! I'm tired and I wanna sleep! Move, Cid!"

"Great! Thanks for all the help, kid. 'Night then," Cid mumbled, flopping onto his back and turning away from her before she could see his grin. He leaned over and blew out the lamp on the small table, dropping the room into darkness even though she was still standing.

It didn't take long for him to hear her quietly uttered curse and then the sound of rustling cloth. "I swear, you're such a jerk sometimes," she muttered out loud. "I slept on the floor last time we were here. Do you know how big the cockroaches in this town are?" she hissed. His chuckles died out when he felt the squeak of the bed and the tell-tale shifting of the mattress as her weight settled onto it.

He turned slightly and regarded the girl, who was lying on top of the blankets with her arms folded behind her head. He could barely make out the outline of her face from the light spilling into through the tiny window. Moonlight again, he noted. They always seemed to be running into each others' personal space in the moonlight. She was carefully avoiding his face, her breathing shallow but even. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked her quietly.

Yuffie twitched her shoulders slightly, her eyes trained on the ceiling. "Sleeping," she said simply. "Personally, I think I've been through enough today." Cid winced slightly and her eyes slid towards him. The barest hint of a smile crossed her lips; he would have missed it if it hadn't been for the pearly light reflecting from the flash of her teeth. "I trust you."

"Trust me to do what?" he replied, still looking at her and trying to understand the feelings bunching through his chest. The lust was still there, though lying dormant for the moment. Instead, he found himself thinking about Shera. He knew she'd readily forgive him for almost any transgression, even the one he almost made with Yuffie earlier that day. That was part of the reason he had left, after all. But this was a different sensation that filled him now, a strange emotion that evoked a much deeper feeling of guilt. He wasn't sure what he felt for the girl… the woman, he corrected himself, lying at his side, but he had the feeling it was something Shera would not accept and forgive as readily as his other countless sins. She continued to stare at him with her poker face, masked by the moonlight, and he wondered if she knew or even experienced a fraction of the turmoil that she was creating inside of him.

There was a tiny sigh, and she turned her head away, her eyes closing. "Just sleep," she said wearily. "That's enough for both of us right now."

Cid remained still for few moments longer, watching as she schooled her face into a deceptively peaceful expression. His eyes drifted across her smooth features and he leaned forward slowly, stopping only when he was hovering a few inches before her face. The gentle push of her breath mingled with his own, but her eyes remained closed. He flirted briefly with the idea of pressing his lips against hers before discarding it almost immediately. Then with a sigh, he turned his back to her and settled on his side, preparing himself for a long and uncomfortable night.

Yuffie's eyes crept open as soon as she was sure he wasn't watching her anymore. She re-focused on the ceiling, even though she couldn't make out the pattern of the wood in the darkness. Though she felt the warm drop of tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, she carefully kept her breathing steady. _Why did he kiss me?_ she thought. _And why didn't he kiss me? Why do I even want him to? Gawd, I'm such a pathetic little girl._ She let her eyes drift shut and tried to ignore the large figure lying next to her. Hadn't she promised herself that she wouldn't let her heart get stepped on anymore? Cid had enough problems of his own anyway. It was late, and she was tired. _Things will be clearer tomorrow,_ she promised herself, trying to ignore her wistful desire to touch him. In the end, she gave in partially, settling on brushing her knuckles gently against the small of his back. She knew he was awake, and after a few nervous moments was intensely grateful when he chose not to react or comment on her touch. "Thanks," she murmured quietly, feeling herself drifting away into a peaceful slumber.

Cid grunted in reply, finally allowing his eyes to close as an odd sense of relief and comfort filled him. _It'll be better in the morning,_ she had said. As sleep overtook him, he realized vaguely that he was hoping that the morning wouldn't come.

_**AN:** Hee hee, I wonder how many angry reader glares I will be getting for this chapter now. Well, I'm not trying to shy away from the citrus in this fic, but that's not really the point, either. I hope you all don't kill me for that, but I'm not very good at PWP. I love and need my plots. Please leave a review if you read it, tell me what you think! I love reviews. Reviews can sometimes get me inspired enough to write even on weekends. ;-)_


	6. Crazy Little Notion

**Chapter 6: Crazy Little Notion**

When Cid realized Shera was looking at him, he thought it was a little odd. She never looked at him, not directly in the eye at least, unless they were discussing something very important. It had been a long time since Cid could figure out what Shera considered important; the last time he had seen her eyes had been over a sandwich and an ill-fated vacation.

_Vacation,_ he grunted to himself. _Something happened then… _His thoughts scattered as he felt Shera's arms wrap around him. He blinked and looked down into her delicate, almond-shaped face. For some reason she wasn't wearing her glasses and it made her eyes shine like crystal. They were a misty blue, paler than his own and filled with electricity. "Shera?" he asked her uncertainly. Those eyes were never filled with a sparkle for him, and much as he wanted them to, those arms never wrapped around him willingly either.

"Shh," she told him, placing a gentle finger over his lips. He felt himself freeze in surprise as she leaned forward and removed the finger, only to place it with the pressure of her lips. Then he grabbed her roughly and kissed her back with a mixture of shock and relieved fervour. He broke away long enough to squeeze the small woman tightly to his chest, feeling his heart pounding with overwhelming satisfaction; things were finally right between them.

"God, Shera," he gasped, unable to completely believe that his luck was finally turning around. "Fuck, I thought you'd never…"

"Shh," she said again, cutting him off as she slipped from his arms, and his eyes opened slightly. His stomach twisted violently; something was wrong, whenever things seemed to be just a little too perfect, something would always go wrong and snatch his dreams away from under his nose. He reached out to pull her back to his chest, but she stepped out of his grasp.

"No… Shera, babe, don't leave me…" he groaned. Mindless panic began to fill him and he tried to trap her in his arms. Somehow she was already out of his range, and no matter how he reached for her she kept growing more and more distant. With a loud shout, he lunged forward and stretched his arms out desperately.

Yuffie was violently shaken out of her peaceful sleep as Cid's arm landed on her abdomen painfully. She gasped as he grabbed her and pulled her to himself in a painfully tight embrace. "Cid!" she wheezed, trying to pry herself out of his iron grasp so she could breathe again. _Why does he have to be so strong?_ she thought as she struggled to throw his arm off. "Cid, WAKE UP!" she yelled again, the need for air taking precedence over his feelings.

With a start, Cid's eyes snapped open, bringing him face-to-face with Yuffie. A look of utter confusion crossed his features, followed by a knowing grimace. The grimace quickly deepened into one of pain as he let her go and rolled onto his back with a vehement curse, grabbing the arm he had been leaning his weight on. "Fuck!" he spat out, trying to orient himself against the pain that had flared up when he jostled the injured limb. That was relatively easy; trying to find his footing amidst his intense emotional disappointment was much harder. He cursed again, leaning his head into the pillow and trying to pick out the pieces of reality that had interspersed themselves with his dream.

"Regen," he heard Yuffie breath, and the throb in his arm lessened instantly. His eyes opened in time to see the last sparkles of the spell fade away in the light and he exhaled heavily. "Thanks," he muttered and turned to look at her. He hadn't realized how close she was, propped up on one elbow and still holding her arm above him.

"All better?" she asked him sympathetically.

Cid gave her a hard stare before turning away. "Not really," he muttered sourly.

Yuffie bit her lip as she watched his jaw clench and unclench. "Wanna talk about it?" she probed gently.

"Not with you," he grunted angrily. He heard her sudden intake of breath and winced, kicking himself for speaking before thinking.

"Fine. I'm getting up now. Try not to break your arm again, alright?" she said tersely, rolling away from him. His hand caught her wrist before she could rise, and Yuffie shivered as she remembered the kiss that had followed his firm grasp the last time. She closed her eyes and turned to face him only when she was sure she had wiped away all traces of uncertainty and longing from her expression. "So?" she asked, settling back on her elbow and staring down at him.

Cid blew through his nose and looked sour. "I really need a fucking cigarette," he said conversationally.

Yuffie grinned at him. "Wow, it's been a whole day, hasn't it? I kinda like it," she teased lightly, leaning forward to sniff him conspicuously. "I can actually stay in a ten-foot radius of you without gagging on the smoke!"

A smile worked its way to Cid's face despite his sour mood. "Don't get your hopes up, kid, I ain't gonna give up on my smokes that easy," he rumbled with a grin. It faded as he saw her expression shift slightly. "What'd I say?" he asked her immediately.

There it was again, that word. In hindsight, she wished she had never given Cid permission to use it. Yuffie blinked and looked away from him, picking at the quilt. "Nothin'," she mumbled stubbornly. Sensing his glare, she squared her shoulders and returned the look. "Well if you won't tell me then I won't tell you," she said with a pout. Then she quickly flushed and pulled her lip back in. "Umm, sorry, I keep forgetting."

Cid stared at Yuffie, feeling a slight twinge of disappointment at her suddenly reserved behaviour. He hadn't meant to put a damper on her usual enthusiastic personality, despite the way he reacted to it. _Shit… she ain't really Yuffie if she's not actin' like a damn kid,_ he realized. "Don't stop on my account," he told her carefully. Yuffie gave him a surprised look, but he only shrugged. "I ain't gonna stop cussin' or smokin' around you, so you can do whatever the hell ya want with those lips of yours."

"Really?" Yuffie asked, her eyebrows lifting slightly.

"Yeah," Cid replied.

"Good," she said, leaning forward. His exclamation of surprise was muffled by the pressure of her lips as she placed a soft, closed-mouth kiss against his. He found himself lifting his head off of the pillow to follow her when she pulled away from him, finally breaking the kiss only when his arm began to protest from the motion. She gave him a tiny, embarrassed smile and dropped her gaze back to the quilt. "I've been wanting to do that ever since you chickened out last night."

Cid let his head drop back onto the pillow with a thump and stared at the ceiling in consternation. It had been a good kiss, he realized. There were no sudden bursts of light and he didn't think he had heard any choirs singing, but for a moment he had actually forgotten how shitty his life was. There had only been him and her and the moment of their shared touch in the quiet morning. He took a deep breath and looked at Yuffie. _I am a bastard,_ he thought sourly, the feeling the fleeting moment of reprieve fade away. "This is a mistake, Yu," he told her flatly.

Yuffie's mouth twitched slightly, and then she sighed and settled herself on the bed, careful not to disturb his arm as she propped her head on his shoulder. "Well, don't look at me," she answered, turning her face into his arm and breathing in the smoky smell of his shirt. She still hated the cigarettes, but there was something about the scent of smoke that was so utterly Cid that it brought her a greater level of comfort than it did irritation. "You guys always told me I had bad judgement."

Cid smiled wryly and brought his good hand to her head. He ran his fingers through her hair once, and then with a half-muttered curse reached for the tie of her headband and pulled it loose. She stiffened in surprise, but quickly relaxed again as he resumed combing his fingers through her hair. "We can't do this," he tried again.

"You know you'd be a lot more convincing if you'd stop doing that," Yuffie sighed into his shoulder as he brushed against her temple.

Cid gave a small grunt of acknowledgement, but his fingers continued their soothing massage. "Shit, Yu. You can't blame an old man for takin' what he can get," he joked gruffly. He looked down at her in surprise as her hand snaked out and caught his own, stopping him. Yuffie looked up from his shoulder and met his eyes with an unusually intense, bright gaze.

"You're not old," she said fiercely, her fingers clutching at his.

Carefully, Cid extracted his hand from her tight grasp and resumed brushing his fingers through her hair. It was silky smooth and it slipped across his skin like cool, dark water. His own hair was coarse and rough, bleached platinum from years of abuse weathered in the sun and wind. He marvelled at how capably the little ninja could wilfully ignore that. "Older than you," he relented, letting her win the battle for the moment. A peaceful silence settled, punctuated only by Yuffie's occasional sigh as he stroked her head. _It's too perfect,_ he thought, and decided to take the initiative.

"I still love Shera."

Yuffie's eyes opened slowly, and she stared blankly over the expanse of Cid's chest and into the wall of the room beyond it. "I know," she whispered, feeling him pull his hand away. "We should get back to Fort Condor today."

"Yeah," he mumbled in agreement. Neither of them moved.

"Cid," Yuffie said finally, lifting her head away from his shoulder and leaning on her side. "You know I'm not trying to replace her, right?"

He reached over and cupped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look directly at him. "What about you? I ain't blind," he said, his face furrowing into a mild frown. "You didn't give two shits about me 'till Spike dropped you."

_Is that what I'm doing?_ she wondered, letting her eyes trail over Cid's startlingly blue ones and then drift over his shock of blonde hair. His features were hard and his face weathered with lines, a far cry from Cloud's smooth, almost androgynous beauty. She smiled slightly, reaching out and tracing lightly over one of the creases pressed into his face from his deepening frown. "If I wanted to replace Cloud, I'd probably be chasing after someone like Vincent," she told him. "Honestly though, I think I'd rather be here right now."

The frown slowly eased off of Cid's face. "You sure about that?" he asked her gruffly.

Yuffie gave a hum of agreement and flashed him a small smile. "I don't need a pretty face, Cid. I just want to feel… appreciated," she said quietly.

The note of hurt in her voice spurred Cid to lean forward and cover her mouth with his own in a soothing kiss. Yuffie melted into it, her hand trailing to the base of his neck. With a growing awareness, they both realized it was the first time they were actually sharing a kiss willingly, rather than just receiving one. Yuffie's lips parted slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, Cid placed his hand on the back of her head and accepted her offer, deepening the kiss. He was surprised by the rapidity with which the dizzying heat overtook them both, and how quickly the kiss transformed from a gentle surrender into an urgent demand for both of them. A small, mewling noise escaped from Yuffie's throat, and Cid grabbed her roughly and dragged her over himself, trying to smother the slow burn that was spreading through him with the blanket of her body. He felt her gasp in response and drove his tongue into her mouth insistently as his hand trailed down her back. The muscles there were bunching with tension and surprise, and tried to remember that this was all new to her. Then she broke off the kiss to bite at the lobe of his ear, and he forgot why he was hesitating.

Cid's head was pounding, and a guttural groan escaped his lips. He felt Yuffie shift above him and reached for her lips again, but she turned her head away. He drew back slightly from her with a look of annoyed confusion, and slowly realized that the pounding was not only in his head. Yuffie's forehead hit his chest, her breathing rapid and heavy, and he dropped his chin on top of her head and swore quietly.

"Is everything alright in there?" the innkeeper's voice called as he knocked at the door again. "It sounds as if Mr. Highwind might need some medical attention!"

Yuffie lifted her head and rolled her eyes at Cid, who pulled his teeth pulled back in a fierce growl. "That fucker is the one who's gonna need the goddamn doctor," he whispered, eliciting a quiet giggle from Yuffie while she slid off of him.

"Umm, we're fine, sir!" Yuffie called out as she stepped out of the bed and hastily straightened her clothing. Pointedly ignoring Cid's furious gestures of protest she made her way to the door. She allowed it to open slightly and beamed into the curious face of the old man waiting outside. "I was just testing Cid's arm since he broke it yesterday," she explained cheerily. Noticing how obviously the man was trying to peer over her shoulder and into the room, Yuffie wedged herself firmly between the door and the frame and let her smile grow wider.

"Oh, well… I could call the doctor over if you'd like," the old man said, rising onto his tip toes in an attempt to glance over her shoulder.

Yuffie rose onto her own toes in time with him and shook her head slightly. "Nope, we're really fine. I think we have it covered."

Sensing that she wasn't going to allow him to have a peek inside, the innkeeper's smile dropped into a sullen frown and he gave Yuffie a level glare. "Well, if that's the case, perhaps you two would be kind enough to clear the room, unless you'd like to _pay_ for another evening together?" he told her snidely.

"What?" Yuffie said, her eyes popping open as the smile dropped. "You're gonna wake us up and kick us out in the middle of the morning just like that?" she yelled at him.

The innkeeper's tight smile shifted into a satisfied smirk. "But it's already well past noon, Miss Kisaragi. I thought you realized that! Did you and Mr. Highwind not manage to sleep well last night?" he asked suggestively.

Yuffie's mouth dropped open, then her eyes narrowed. "Fine, we'll be out of your hair soon enough, pops," she muttered, keeping her voice level. She couldn't quite hold back the sarcasm as she thanked him for the room, however. The door was slammed in the innkeeper's face and locked fiercely before he could reply. With a sigh, Yuffie turned around and leaned against it with resignation.

Cid looked at her, running a hand through his hair messily. "Shit," he grunted angrily. It was starting already, just like he knew it would; only this time there would actually be a base to all the rumours. He looked back at Yuffie sympathetically; she was younger than him and he supposed that would make it worse for her. He was used to weathering storms; nine years of living with Shera had prepared him for anything. "You gonna be okay?" he asked her.

Yuffie lifted her head and opened her eyes, giving Cid a wane half-smile. Then, collecting herself, she stood up and let a real smile slip over it. "I should've put out more like you said," she quipped. "That would've shut him up!"

Cid let out a short bark of laughter as he climbed out of the bed and quickly slipped into his boots. He stood and collected the small bundle of their supplies as Yuffie strapped on her armour. "Naw," he told her when she approached the door. He stopped her before she could open it and grabbed her chin, tilting her face up towards his own. "I don't like sharin'."

Yuffie blinked, her face paling slightly. "Does Shera?" she asked him.

Cid's fingers dropped away and his mouth turned down into a fierce frown. "Let's get the hell outta here," he swore, flinging open the door and stomping out.

Yuffie stared at his retreating back. A tiny sigh escaped from her lips before she followed.

**.x.x.x.**

Yuffie's chocobo was in a less than cheerful mood, considering that it has been stabled outdoors, left without food for the evening and now had to carry two passengers on its back to boot. It warbled constantly, letting them know of its annoyance at every opportunity.

"Can't you shut that damn bird up?" Cid groaned. He wasn't doing much better than their ride, considering that they had weathered the day with only the remainder of the fruits from Yuffie's late-night escapade and not much else. Without nicotine or caffeine coursing through his body, Cid wasn't a very happy man to be around. Yuffie was half-inclined to let him ride the chocobo alone and just walk back to civilization. His fingers twitched against her waist, and she remembered why she was putting up with the pilot's constant grumbling with a heated blush. The warm sensation that rose from their contact was worth the amount of complaining that he was doing. It was also distracting her from steering the chocobo properly, and they were plodding through the forest at an unusually slow pace.

"The only way I could shut him up is if I had some greens on me. Besides, you're one to talk!" she added ruefully. "You've been making more noise than the chocobo!"

Cid groaned again and let his chin drop onto Yuffie's head. "Fuck. Greens. If you had a green on ya I'd roll it up and smoke it right now," he muttered, his fingers tightening around her waist again.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "You're not very nice when you're going through withdrawal, you know," she drawled.

"I can't fuckin' think about anything else!" Cid answered, his hands twitching again. That was a bald-faced lie, he knew. It was true, he was in a foul mood without the comfort of his trusty cigarettes to soothe him. Still, there was a much more immediate reason for his discomfort; it was currently leaning against him and guiding the chocobo they were riding. Smoking would have allowed himself to keep his hands busy, rather than resting them on the gentle curve of Yuffie's waist. He flexed his fingers, trying to resist the urge to run them over the curve of her hips.

Yuffie let out a loud sigh and bumped Cid's fingertips with her elbow. "Can you stop doing that please?" she complained loudly. "It's distracting!"

"Stop doing what?" he asked as his fingers twitched against her again. Noting her sudden intake of breath, a smirk stretched across his face and he squeezed her deliberately once more before letting his hands trail slowly upwards towards the edge of her high shirt.

"Cid!" Yuffie squeaked, feeling her face erupt into flames. She cast around for an excuse that might stop him before she forgot herself, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Stop it, my ribs are ticklish!"

"Damn," he muttered, lifting his chin off of her head and burying his nose into her thick hair. She smelled like chocobo, he noted with amusement. Then again, he probably did too by now. "Well, guess I better lay off your fuckin' ribs then," he answered, letting his fingers creep downwards to the edge of her hip-hugging shorts, probing gently under the waistband.

"I'm t-ticklish there too," Yuffie gasped out, clutching the reins of the chocobo tightly. The bird warbled in annoyance and Yuffie leaned forward to give it a swift pat on the neck, trying to ignore the man behind her. The back of a chocobo didn't leave a lot of room for escape, however, and Cid quickly pulled her flush against his chest with a thump.

"Goin' somewhere?" his low voice tickled into her ear.

"We're on the back of a chocobo, Cid! A very angry chocobo! Don't you think you could control yourself for just a single day?" she answered, ducking away from his warm breath.

"Hell n-- wait just a fuckin' minute," he said, releasing her hip and reaching for her chin, turning her head back towards him. "You sayin' you won't mind getting' cozy once we're off this bird?" he asked, suddenly tempted to grab Yuffie and lean backwards, which would toss them both off of the mount.

As if reading his expression, Yuffie flushed and twisted her head away. "Don't even think about doing something stupid, Cid!" she yelled. "Your arm isn't completely healed yet, in case you forgot already!" He made a slight sound of annoyance and she whipped her head around to glare at him again. "And no, I don't want to be some sort of human replacement for your stupid cigarettes!"

Cid found his lips quirking upward at her cute glare and bent down to place a hungry kiss on the juncture of her shoulder and neck. "You taste better than any fuckin' cigarette," he mumbled between his rough nips.

Yuffie felt herself blushing deeply, but finally gave up on trying to bat him away. _Might as well just go with it, it's not like anyone out here is gonna see us,_ she concluded. Her head lolled back and the chocobo slowed to a standstill. Cid's rough ministrations on her neck and shoulders sapped the strength away from her limbs, and she let out an involuntary moan as her thighs tightened against the saddle.

A questioning wark answered her, and both Yuffie and Cid looked up to see the bird twisting is head around and staring at them. If chocobos could speak, its annoyed expression might have read _"not on my back you don't."_

"We have an audience," Yuffie mumbled after a moment, before breaking out into a series of giggles.

Cid dropped his head into the crook of her shoulder and let out another frustrated grunt. "I need a fuckin' vacation from this vacation," he swore. "Can't this goddamn chicken move any faster?"

Yuffie's giggles died out as she kicked the chocobo back into a trot, concentrating on navigating through the forest. The smile died away as she considered the man riding behind her. _What happens when we get back to Fort Condor? We can't keep on acting like this, that much is obvious._ She sighed slightly, thinking of his reaction to her mention of Shera. _Maybe he just wants to go home as quick as possible to try and forget that this ever happened._ She bit her lip and kicked the chocobo into an even faster gait. _That would be the logical thing to do, wouldn't it? Nothing's really happened yet, after all. _Yuffie nodded firmly to herself, trying to make it sound like a convincing argument. The only problem was that she didn't feel like what they had shared had been _nothing,_ and the thought of him leaving her so soon left a dull ache in her chest.

Cid noticed as Yuffie nudged the chocobo into a faster pace and a frown crossed his face. Travelling faster meant reaching the settlement more quickly, and that meant he'd be able to get his hands on a few more precious cigarettes. He wouldn't have even cared what brand they were, as long as he could light them up and take a long drag. The promise wasn't as much of a comfort as he was hoping it would be, though. _Shit… what happens when we get back?_ he thought. _I take the Highwind up for a few hours and beat the meat, then crawl home to Shera like none of this shit even happened?_ That was probably the best solution, but he found himself reluctant to accept it. A lump of tension was growing in his stomach that had nothing to do with the delicious temptation that came from inspecting Yuffie's body.

"If we keep up this pace, we'll be back before the end of the day!" Yuffie called over her shoulder, smiling nervously.

"No shit," Cid answered morosely, closing his eyes.

"Hey Cid—"

"Look, Yu—"

They both broke off sheepishly at the interruption, though Yuffie did slow the chocobo down to a walk. "You first," she said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

Cid mumbled a few scathing expletives under his breath. _What the fuck am I, a goddamn teenager again? Just say it, damn it!_ he told himself as he collected his nerves. "I was just thinkin'… maybe we don't have to get back to Fort Condor so damn fast."

"Yeah," Yuffie piped in immediately, feeling a huge sense of relief wash over her. "Your arm's still kinda injured, so maybe we should be a little more careful."

Cid's grip around Yuffie tightened. "And ya wouldn't want to push this goddamn bird too hard, either."

They both fell silent, very clearly hearing the lies but unwilling to pull away the flimsy coverlet of reasoning they had thrown over the problem.

"Curiel greens," Yuffie said suddenly.

"The hell?" Cid answered intelligibly, staring at the back of Yuffie's head.

"Curiel greens!" Yuffie repeated excitedly, stopping the chocobo. "I just remembered that I'm totally out of curiel greens!"

"Well why the fuck are ya tellin' me about it?" Cid answered finally, then held on and tried to keep his balance as Yuffie suddenly veered the chocobo around and nearly threw him off.

"Because they sell curiel greens at the Chocobo Farm!" she replied, kicking the confused bird into a slow trot in the opposite direction they had been travelling in.

Cid stared at the girl in front of him in disbelief before he decided to comment on the obvious. "I thought the Chocobo Farm was on the other side of the fuckin' mountains, Yu."

"It is," Yuffie said cheerfully, keeping her head held high.

"… and I thought you didn't have any money either," he added pointedly.

"I'll think of something!" Yuffie replied quickly. "Or are you trying to tell me that you'd rather not take a little detour right now?" she asked hesitantly.

Cid groaned and closed his eyes, briefly weighing the prospect of getting a chance to smoke again in the near future with the possibility to spend more time with Yuffie. His lungs were going to hate him for it, but the decision was relatively easy. _It's my fuckin' vacation,_ he rationalized. _Just a few days more… _Practicality interrupted his daydreaming as Cid's stomach grumbled loudly. "What the hell are we goin' to eat 'till we get there?" he asked. "We haven't got any food or money, remember? I don't even have my goddamn lance!"

"Oh, calm down," Yuffie said, twisting in the saddle to flash him a heart-stopping smile. "I still have all my materia with me. As long as you don't mind eating mu for dinner, we'll be fine. Besides, we might even be able to catch a wild chocobo or two on the way there and sell them to Billy!" Cid continued to grumble and Yuffie rolled her eyes. "It's not like I haven't spent my time practically living in the forest when I was younger or anything," she reminded him tartly. "Besides, what would you do with your lance? Smoke it? You just broke your arm!" she teased.

"A woman shouldn't have to put food on the table for a man," Cid replied, still frowning fiercely even as he felt himself reluctantly caving in to Yuffie's wild plan. He raised an eyebrow at the ninja in question when she squirmed around on the saddle and gave him another broad smile. "The hell did I do now?" he asked cluelessly, though he was pleased to see that he had managed to make her happy somehow.

"Gee, Cid, what a real gentleman you are," Yuffie laughed, turning forward without answering him. The huge grin remained on her face, though, as well as the glowing pride that had filled her from head to toe on hearing him call her a woman again.

_**AN:** Little shorter transitional chapter here. Side note: I'm a dork. Fort Condor and Gongaga aren't even on the same continent! I've already edited the previous chapters to cover the slip. Very sorry, there will be no more bending of geography in this fic. Edit, I just cleaned up this chapter a little bit more. Not enough proofreading first time around. ;)_


	7. Not Just a Fuckin' Step Over the Line

_**AN: **This chapter has been edited to meet M-rating requirements. If you want the uncensored version, please visit MediaMiner and read the story there. Though, I'd prefer if you left comments, critiques and reviews on this account! Edited on to keep a little more plot in this chapter, even if you don't want to read the lemon._

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**Chapter 7:** **Not Just a Fuckin' Step Over** **the** **Line**

With a firm destination in mind, the strain of travelling together lifted slightly. It didn't disappear, however; Yuffie remembered Cid's whispered query very clearly and purposefully threw herself into concentrating on the route they chose. She steered them towards a low mountain pass in the hopes of making the rough trip a little easier on both of them. The reality of crossing a mountain with only a single chocobo, no matter how golden it was, was still a very daunting one however. When the ground began to slope gently upwards, she was already tired of riding; by the time the thick deciduous trees had thinned into sparser mountain pines, she gave up on trying to steer the chocobo at all and let it pick its own winding path up the mountainside.

Cid noticed the unusual tension in Yuffie as they rode together, and carefully kept his wandering hands in check. Feeling the warmth of her body as she leaned against him was tempting, but the ever-present fear that he might scare her somehow took precedence over his eagerness. By the time they were well underway in their rocky ascent, even he was ready for a break from the uninterrupted journey. He felt slightly guilty, knowing it was his lascivious teasing that had caused Yuffie to push them so hard. He found himself constantly trying to remind himself of her age; despite her flirtatious smiles and ability to respond to his innuendos with rapid-fire responses, she had no experience with men. That filled him with a sense of pride and anticipation that was matched only by his own nervousness and guilt.

"Yuffie," he finally said when the afternoon sunlight filtering through the trees began to wane, "we gotta take a fuckin' break." He felt rather than heard her sharp intake of breath, and another pang of guilt stabbed at him. "Take it easy, Yu, I ain't gonna bite you if we stop."

"Aww, shucks!" Yuffie quipped, though he noticed her shoulders sagged with relief. "Well, let's find some water before we set up camp," she added purposefully.

Cid gave her a slight nod of agreement, fiercely stamping down his disappointment at Yuffie's hesitation. _She'll come to me when she's ready,_ he told himself. Directing his gaze onto the back of her slender neck, a small grin crept onto his face. _Yeah, I'll just have to make fuckin' sure that she's ready._

They dismounted near a small stream that trickled down the mountainside; it was hardly large enough to be called anything more than runoff from the higher peaks, but the sprinkle of water that dripped off of the rocky outcrop was clean and startlingly cold. After drinking deeply, Cid looked up to see Yuffie cupping her hands together to gather the water and then splashing it on her face. He winced as he watched her; the chilled water quickly turned her cheeks a bright shade of red. "What the hell are ya doing?" he asked her incredulously. "That shit is pretty damn cold!"

Yuffie blinked and quickly shucked off her gauntlet and shoulder guard, giving Cid a careless shrug. "I don't see how you can stand not bathing for an entire day!" she replied, gritting her teeth as she gathered more water between her palms. She paused and gave Cid a mischievous smirk. "Well, I guess I can SEE it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Bathing is practically a ritual in Wutai, you know?" She splashed the water over her head and grimaced, then quickly steeled her expression as she ducked under the small outcrop and let the stream spill over her hair. "C-c-cold!" she hissed, her eyes squeezing shut.

"Then don't bother," Cid answered, settling himself onto the ground with a slight groan of pain before leaning back on his elbows with a smile.

"Y-you g-g-get used to it," Yuffie answered, her teeth chattering as she began to work the water through her hair with stiff fingers. "S'better than smelling like a chocobo," she added as the wince slowly faded and her shivers lessened. Soon, she was gathering the water in her palms again and busily scrubbing down her bare arms. Her wet hair was plastered to her face, and rivulets of water were running down her top, soaking it thoroughly.

"You're gonna get sick, Yu," Cid noted as patches of dampness turned the fabric of her shirt progressively darker.

"I've got my fire materia," she replied, ignoring him and splashing another handful of water over an outstretched arm.

Cid opened his mouth to give her another smart reply, and then shut it as his gaze fixed itself onto her hands. He followed the motion of her fingertips as they trailed from her elbow to her shoulder and back, hypnotised. Fingers twitching into the ground, he found himself wishing he could follow her example and massage the warmth back into her arms. _I'm the one that needs_ _a fuckin' cold shower,_ he thought to himself. Turning his head slightly, he tried to discreetly sniff at his armpit without Yuffie noticing. _Shit, I do smell like chocobo,_ he realized sourly. "Well, what the hell," he mumbled out loud as he sat up and removed his gloves and pulled the goggles away from his head.

Yuffie looked up, squeezing what water she could out of her short hair. "Uh-huh, stinky, I saw you do that!" she told him as she moved out of the way. "Don't worry, the water's not that cold!" she added with a grin.

"Yer fuckin' lips are blue," Cid replied, though he still placed a hand on the rock and dipped his head under the trickle of water a moment later. "Yeearg!" he yelled loudly as the frigid stream hit the back of his neck. "Holy shit, Yu, cold ain't the right fuckin word!" he yelped as he hurriedly rubbed the water through his hair. "I'd rather smell like the goddamn chicken than bathe in this!" he added ruefully as he came up. He noticed Yuffie trying to hold in a few snickers unsuccessfully, and shot her a curious glare. "So what are you laughin' at now?" he asked.

"Your hair," Yuffie snorted, pointing delicately at the blonde mop that was now dripping into Cid's eyes. Though it was mostly short and spiked, the one crest of hair that was usually propped up over his forehead by his goggles had sagged downwards into his face.

"Eh, that," Cid grumbled, running a hand through his wet hair. Then to Yuffie's dismay, he lowered his head and shook it wildly, sending droplets of cold water flying everywhere.

"Hey!" Yuffie shouted indignantly, trying to protect herself from the tiny shower. "I thought you said you didn't want me getting wet!" she screeched. Looking back, she noticed that disobedient spike of hair had regained its former position on his head and let out another giggle. "I like it better that way," she admitted as he grinned at her.

Cid's grin faded as Yuffie stood on her toes and experimentally fluffed the high tuft of his hair between her fingertips. His hands were around her waist before he knew what he was doing, and Yuffie froze, staring at him with wide eyes. Neither said a word, trapped in an uncomfortable state of hyper-awareness. He realized that he had forced them into a crossroad; he could let her go and still come home to Shera an honest man. Yuffie was known for being impulsive and careless; she was still so painfully young, and he had the chance to protect her from making a mistake that could stain her for the rest of her life. They would still be friends if he let her go, he knew. His grip loosened very slightly, but he couldn't draw himself away from her eyes. It was her eyes that were holding him back; he could see the need in them, a reflection of his own darker desires. Cid still couldn't figure out why or how, but she wanted him, and the look she was giving him was more addicting than any cigarette. He leaned forward, cursing himself silently, and sought out her lips.

The kiss was very gentle and cautious, as if they both realized something significant was changing and didn't want to rush forward into it carelessly. Cid brought his lips away from hers and pressed his cheek against Yuffie's own. "Are you sure?" he whispered, carefully brushing a wet tendril of hair behind her ear. He heard her swallow, then felt the faint bob of her head as she nodded. He turned his face towards her and kissed the small stretch of skin before her ear in response and was rewarded with a soft sigh. His hands were already moving, gently guiding her to the ground as he lowered himself over her body, scattering light kisses over her chin and neck.

Yuffie sighed again and felt herself melt into a boneless heap on the ground as his fingers began to dance over her skin. He traced a careful path down her throat, pausing briefly at the base of her collarbone before continuing to the zipper of her shirt. He pulled it down with agonizing slowness, his eyes drinking in every inch of pale skin that he exposed hungrily. She made the mistake of looking into his face as he pushed her vest open, and felt herself stomach curl with nervous warmth. The heat in his face contrasted sharply with the cold wetness of her skin, and she shivered slightly as the evening breeze drifted across her exposed chest.

"You don't wear a bra," he noted with a slight grin.

Yuffie blushed fiercely and looked away. "Well excuse me! So my chest is a little small!" she shot back, pushing back a sudden feeling of shame and embarrassment.

"I ain't complainin'," he laughed, bending down. He placed an electric kiss on the slight curve of one breast and looked up again, the hunger flashing in his eyes once more.

"Heeeeey…" she hissed, her indignant reply dying into a half-murmured moan. Yuffie's head dropped against the ground with a thump, and she began to squirm in Cid's arms, desperately trying to sooth the prickling spark of desire that his attentions were igniting without knowing what she was searching for. Cid only gripped her even more firmly and held her down, refusing to be shaken off, simply transferring his attention to the other breast when she began to pull at his hair in protest. "Cid!" she finally gasped, jabbing him sharply in the ribs with her knee.

"Ouch," he said dryly, his large hands moving to cup her over-sensitized chest as he slid down further. "Well, I can move on if you insist," he added with a smirk, trailing a path of kisses down her abdomen. Yuffie hardly noticed his comment, her head already digging into the ground as she moaned and twisted her hands through his hair. Encouraged by her vocal response to his touch, he reached for the waistband of her tiny shorts and pulled the zipper down. _These fuckin' shorts,_ he groaned to himself as he pushed them away from her hips. _Damn, Yuffie, you could peel these off with tweezers!_ He resolved immediately to convince Yuffie to change her wardrobe once they reached a shop; _no fuckin' way you're wearin' those things around other guys, not anymore,_ he thought furiously The sight of her exposed thighs sent his thoughts into a tailspin; he hadn't thought that he would be so unnerved by seeing her almost naked when she wore so little to begin with. "Damn," he groaned out loud, burying his head against the edge of her hip as his fingers raked the shorts off of her legs.

Yuffie's fingers pulled suddenly at his hair, and he heard her sharp intake of breath. He looked up and froze as he saw the expression on her face. Her breathing was rapid and uneven and her eyes were closed tightly. The colour had drained from her face again, and she was biting her lip.

Cid could tell she was trying to remain quiet, but the girl's fear was almost palpable. His burgeoning lust was brought painfully into check, and he shifted his tight grip on her hips to a more gentle hold around her waist as he brought himself back up to face her. "Yuffie," he said, running his fingers down her chin and turning her face towards him. He held her back forcefully when she tried to lean forward to kiss him, refusing to allow her to distract him. "What's wrong, babe?" he asked neutrally, careful to keep his own rampaging frustration and fear hidden from her.

Yuffie let out a half-choked laugh and finally opened her eyes, amusement sparkling there despite her fears. "I regressed to a baby now?" she teased, though her voice quavered.

Cid returned the smile and gently stroked her cheek. "Babe," he corrected. "Big fuckin' difference in my world," he added placing a cautious kiss on her brow. When she didn't draw away, he pushed forward, trying to forget that he was holding the nearly-naked object of his fantasies in his arms. _I won't fuckin' hurt her,_ he swore to himself vehemently. _Ain't gonna be like with Shera_ _this time, I won't let it…_ "I ain't gonna hurt you," he repeated out loud as he placed a kiss on her neck. "If I'm goin' too fast, Yu, ya just tell me to fuck off, I will. Ain't like I don't know how to deal with it," he continued mindlessly, feeling himself babble but unable to close his mouth in the face of her silence.

Yuffie stilled in his arms as he began to talk rapidly; she wondered if he knew how tightly he was holding her. His touch was much more telling than his words; she could hear him struggling to keep his tone calm and soothing, but he was trembling almost violently against her. _He's… as scared as I am,_ she realized with a start. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his cheek. His fell quiet mid-sentence, but she noticed that his trembling had stopped only to be replaced by a tense stiffness. "You must think I'm pretty pathetic," she whispered softly, drawing her hand back to her chest and burying her face in his neck. "Twenty-one and not even kissed until now. I really am a big baby," she whispered, closing her eyes miserably. "I'm sorry."

The stiffness eased out of Cid's body, and he carefully tucked her head under his chin, running his fingers through her hair in steady, soothing strokes. "Don't worry bout it, Yu," he answered, pausing briefly to plant a soft kiss over her head. "I ain't much better off… haven't gotten laid in four years," he admitted to her. "Fuckin' worse when you know what you're missin'," he joked.

Yuffie pulled herself out of Cid's grasp to regard him in bewilderment. "You haven't slept with Shera in four years?" she asked, her eyes widening. "But… but… you live together!" she sputtered. "How does she keep her hands off you?"

Cid let out a deep, throaty laugh and pulled Yuffie back into his chest. "You could say she ain't quite as eager as you," he explained tiredly, circling his fingers over Yuffie's shoulders. "Well, now you know why I'm such a fuckin' horny bastard," he added uncomfortably as he shifted against her. "Shit, I think I just set you up for life with that kinda blackmail material," he joked.

Instead of responding to the joke, Yuffie raised her head and looked into his eyes. "Why didn't you find another woman?" she asked. "Someone to take the edge off at least? Why'd you wait so long? Why _me?_"

Cid stared at Yuffie, his hand unconsciously cupping her cheek as he searched her face. _Why her?_ He couldn't answer that one. He opened his mouth to tell her that he loved Shera, but the words died in his throat; he couldn't say them when Yuffie was looking at him like that. "I don't want a fuckin' one night stand," he told her finally.

Yuffie stared at him, her face slipping into an unreadable mask as she searched his eyes for something that he didn't understand. She seemed satisfied after her momentary perusal and stretched upward to smother his mouth with a heady kiss.

Later, when she finally was able to feel her extremities again, she realized Cid was still clutching her to himself tightly, his mouth mashed against hers almost painfully. She pulled her head back, trying to catch her breath, and he relinquished his hold on her head almost instantly.

"You enjoyin' yourself?" he asked her with a slight hint of amusement.

"Hah… hah… bastard," Yuffie managed to gasp out, sucking in air hungrily as she processed the sensations that were still thundering through her body. "I think I wet your pants," she mumbled, dropping her head against his chest in embarrassment. She let out a tiny sigh of relief that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in as she felt his chest shake in laughter.

"Ain't your fault, babe," he told her with a touch too much pride, and she lifted her head to scowl at him. "But since you're feelin' guilty, you might as well take em off," he added, fixing her with a burning stare.

Yuffie swallowed, feeling like a mouse being cornered by a cat under his gaze. Then she allowed a tiny smile that looked more confident than she felt play across her face. "Aye aye, captain," she cooed, her fingers reaching for the hem of his shirt and tugging it upwards.

Cid sat up and lifted his arms, allowing her to pull the shirt over his head. He threw it off very quickly by himself when he felt her start to rise away from his lap, bringing her back down with a thump. "That your new pet name for me?" he asked amusedly as Yuffie let her fingers trace over the tattoo on his exposed bicep curiously. He could feel her questioning eyes on him, silently asking why he kept it covered. He didn't reply; like most of the questions he didn't have good answers for, it started and ended with Shera, and he didn't want to think of her while Yuffie was in his arms.

Noting his pained hesitation and guessing at the cause, Yuffie quickly set about to recapturing Cid's attention before his good mood could evaporate. "Yes sir!" Yuffie replied, her eyes flashing mischievously. "I think I better follow my captain's orders before I get in trouble," she added, rising off of him slightly and pulling at the drawstring of his pants. The rest of his clothing fell away under her nimble fingers in quick succession, and when she was finished, she leaned back to admire his muscular body briefly. "Wow, you really are built," she murmured appreciatively, her eyes trailing over the dusting of golden fuzz over his chest that deepened into the darker honey-coloured curls between his thighs.

"Like what you see?" Cid asked her, the faint humour of his question covering the fragile uncertainty with which he asked her.

Yuffie reached out and let her fingers trace across his chest curiously, stopping as she felt him jerk when she passed over his nipple. _So it works both ways, huh,_ she thought with an evil smirk. _I'll have to remember that._ The smirk died out as her eyes rose to Cid's face. He was still watching her, waiting for her reply; his face still held a smile but his blue eyes were clear and hard, preparing for her answer.

_He's not Cloud,_ she thought then, her wandering hands reaching his face once more and scratching against the stubble on his chin. There was nothing even vaguely feminine about Cid's hairy, muscle-bound body; he was a living embodiment of every testosterone stereotype she could come up with, right down to the extra-strong cigarettes he inhaled on an hourly basis. Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed him, wanting to taste the smoky flavour that permanently lingered in his mouth. She drew away after a moment and stared up at him through her eyelashes. "I like you the way you are," she whispered to him. "You're real man, not just a boy."

Cid let out a cynical laugh, grabbing Yuffie and pulling her towards him. His icy blue eyes had thawed somewhat at her words, though, giving away his relief. "I'll remind you of that when you complain about my smokin' again, babe," he growled lowly as he pulled her towards him.

"Hmm, we'll see," Yuffie smirked as she reached for him. Cid jerked and she released him quickly, her mouth opening in gasp of surprise. "Sorry!" she said quickly, feeling her face flush with embarrassment again. "Did I hurt you?"

"N..naw," Cid mumbled shakily, his fingers contracting around her hips uncontrollably just as they had earlier. "You just g-gotta be careful, Yu, or…" he breathed out, his eyes squeezing shut.

Yuffie felt her face twisting into a frown. _He's still holding back,_ she realized suddenly. _He still thinks he's going to hurt me somehow… did I really scare him that much?_ The thought annoyed her now; being gentle was one thing, but if Cid didn't start acting on his impulses soon, she was going to figure that he had a permanent phobia of sex. That thought made her suddenly want to punch Shera right then and there. Instead, she reached for Cid and grasped his face firmly between her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Are you deaf?" she asked him, straddling his thighs and glaring at him. "I already told you I want you." She saw him blink at her uncertainly, and let out a miniscule sigh. _Well, time for guerrilla tactics._ "Of course if you're going to leave me all hot and bothered like this, then I guess I could just try to find Cloud again and ask him to—"

His sudden grip startled her, as did the wrathful oath that rose out of him with frightening intensity. "You're fuckin' mine, Yuffie!" he growled. He knew she was just trying to tease him in to overcoming his own insecurities, but the mention of the other man's name had driven him into a burning, possessive, whisking away his caution and careful planning before he even realized what was happening. His already over-active imagination painted new possibilities of how Cloud might have managed to hurt her, and his grip became painful. _Shit,_ he thought raggedly as he tried to control himself, _ain't supposed to be_ _happenin'_ _this way… I'm losin' it…_

And then he felt her hands wrap around his shoulders, squeezing him gently. He opened his eyes and looked at Yuffie, who was staring at him with a tiny smile. The world stopped spinning and Cid felt the churning rage in his stomach slowly settle. She was smiling, he grasped with a sense of wonder. He had been ready to take her by force if necessary, filled with an uncontrollable desire to purge the imagined presence of another man away from her body with his own, and she was _smiling_ at him.

"Sorry for breaking the ice like that," she murmured softly. "You're such a jealous guy… it's cute," she giggled softly, letting it trail off into a gentle sigh. "Stupid man… don't you already know you're the only one?" she whispered again, her head rolling back as the gentle touch of her hands on his shoulders became punctuated by the grip of her nails. "Please, Cid… show me…" she moaned, moving against him.

Cid caught his breath as he stared at her, so vulnerable and yet so full of need, resting in his arms with complete trust. "Anything you want, babe," he answered her roughly, this time willingly losing himself into the dance their bodies created.

When it was over, he fell with a groan onto his forearms, barely able to keep himself upright over her tiny body. He was gasping and panting loudly, and Yuffie decided to relieve him a little by wrapping her legs firmly around his waist and tossing him to the ground at her side. He let out a grunt as he landed and blinked at her dumbly, then began to withdraw from her embrace. Yuffie smirked and tightened her legs around him, forcing him to remain put. "I like you there," she said, then leaned forward and kissed him softly on the cheek.

Cid gave up struggling and let himself go limp in Yuffie's embrace, breathing heavily. _Shit,_ he thought as he closed his eyes, unable to keep the smile from turning up the corners of his mouth. _That was good. That was fucking good. Why_ **_did_** _I wait so long?_ He felt Yuffie snuggling against his chest and looked down reflexively. "You okay, babe?" he asked her mildly, though it was clear from both their position and the abstract smile on her face that he didn't need to ask.

"Yeah… I liked it," she said, glancing up at him with a blush. "I think you did too," she added, her blush deepening even as she held her gaze steady.

Cid gave her a crooked grin. "We're in neck deep now, ya know," he told her, and she nodded faintly, hiding her head in his chest again. His smiled dropped slightly, and as his euphoria began to fade, he felt the press of questions and problems gathering at the edges of his consciousness. Yuffie squeezed him tightly, and he knew she was thinking the same thing.


	8. Fuckin' Triangles

**_AN: _**_Oops. I edited this chapter a little, just some proofreading, and forgot to tack the AN back on. If you want the rated M version of this fic, please visit MediaMiner and look up my author profile over there. Or just visit my profile here and email me if you can't figure out the URL. Remember, no spaces and replace the UNDERSCORE with an actual underscore. _

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**Chapter 8: Goddamned Triangles**

If Yuffie had been hoping for a romantic experience on her first evening spent alone with a man, the reality of hard rock, cold wind and prickly pine needles soon chased those dreams away. She couldn't say she was unsatisfied in any sense of the word, however; their newfound intimacy had also chased away the unbearable tension that had been plaguing them for almost the entire day. She was even feeling generous enough to wash Cid's clothes for him despite all of the laundry jokes that her attempt elicited from the amused pilot. A short time and liberal use of fire materia later, they were clean, dry, clothed and hungry.

"We need to go hunting before it gets too dark," Yuffie declared as she strapped her shoulder guard and gauntlet into place. Cid looked less enthusiastic than the little ninja; experimentally he swung his arm around. "Oh no, you're not getting out of this!" Yuffie exclaimed, planting her hands on her hips. "It should be healed completely by now, so you're coming with me whether you like it or not!"

Cid smirked at her. "I ain't got no problems with huntin', babe, especially not after something as tasty lookin' as you." He reached for Yuffie yet again to kiss her and she complied. Cid was painfully aware that he couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself anymore; he was constantly looking for excuses to touch her, no matter how obviously or not. It was an impulse that startled and worried him slightly; however, Yuffie hadn't seemed to notice, and he wasn't inclined to bring it up as long as she didn't push him away.

This time, however, Yuffie did break the kiss off first in protest; he had already slowed them down significantly while they were dressing. "Look, maybe you've got some special man-gene that make you able to rough it in the wilderness with nothing but sex for sustenance," she declared, pushing him away with an annoyed pout, "But damn it, Cid, I'm hungry!"

"Then let me feed ya, babe," he whispered huskily, reaching for her again. He let out a half-serious grumble of disappointment as she danced out of his reach, shaking her head firmly.

"Cid Highwind, if you don't get your butt in gear and come hunting with me right now, I'll…"

"Yeah?" he asked with an anticipatory smile.

Yuffie's mouth snapped shut and she stared at him. Then her eyes glinted. "… then no sex for the rest of this trip." She crossed her arms and smirked as Cid immediately straightened and strode towards her.

"Well, what the hell are we waitin' for?" he asked loudly, grabbing her wrist and preparing to drag her into the forest behind him.

Holding back her snorts of amusement, Yuffie planted her heels into the ground and leaned back until he finally turned around and glared at her. Relenting, she allowed him to kiss her briefly before pushing him away. "Wait… we need some weapons first." She made her way back to their tethered chocobo, digging through the pack until she managed to find her shuriken.

Cid watched her with a slight frown. "Shit… I left my Gospel at Condor," he grumbled, thinking wistfully of his spear. "I feel fuckin' useless here," he growled angrily, slumping against one of the trees. Yuffie turned towards him and waved her hand lazily in his direction. He felt the whistle of air above his head before hearing a resounding thunk, followed by a few pine needles which fluttered to the ground. Looking up, he saw her throwing knife embedded into the bark a few inches above his head. "You wanna fuckin' warn me next time you practice your little carnival act on me?" he yelled at her as he pulled the knife out of the wood.

Yuffie shrugged and stuck her tongue out at him, strapping the Conformer to her gauntlet. "You're the one who wanted a weapon," she replied. Her frown matched his own as she approached him. "You don't really know how to use that though, do you?" she mused distractedly as he held up the small knife and turned it slowly.

"Sure I do," he answered, tucking the blade securely against the belt of his pants. "Stick the pointy end into the fuckin' squirrel, end of story."

Yuffie laughed as they began to wander through the forest together, looking for signs of wildlife that would be big enough to provide them with a decent meal. "Easier said than done," she murmured thoughtfully. Holding out her arm, she stopped their advance and sighed. "Wait a second, take this instead," she said, quickly unhooking her materia-laden armlet and handing it to the pilot.

Cid accepted the bracer with a surprised grunt. "You're givin' me your fuckin' materia? Did hell freeze over while I wasn't lookin'?" he asked her with a smirk.

"I'm LOANING you my materia," Yuffie clarified immediately. Then she shrugged and pointed at her weapon. "Don't worry, I've still got some in my shuriken anyway. Besides… now you have to do the cooking because you've got the fire," she added with an amused grin. "It's all just part of my brilliant plan to damage that overbearing male ego of yours you see," she giggled, nudging him with her elbow gently.

"Yeah, yeah," Cid answered sourly as he strapped the bracelet around his wrist. He couldn't quite get over his surprise at the gift as he trailed after the little ninja. Materia use had never been one of Cid's preferred methods of fighting; he was a man who liked to get dirty and work with his hands. In all honesty, he knew if he tried to do much more than support Yuffie or cast the simpler spells, he'd probably end up either hurting himself or passing out from the sheer mental strain that came hand-in-hand with advanced casting. Still, he was amazed that she had actually given him the bracelet at all. It was heavily laden with an exotic assortment of rare and powerful materia, obviously very expensive and certainly well beyond his limited range of knowledge. It made him feel useful, and more importantly it revealed to him the depth of her trust. "Thanks," he mumbled quietly, pushing through the dense underbrush to follow her.

By the time they were able to return to their camp with the few hapless mu they had cornered, night had already turned the sky an inky black. Cid set himself to starting a small fire while Yuffie carefully woke her sleeping chocobo and fed it a few of the wild greens she had managed to collect during their trek. She returned to the campfire moments later and planted herself at his side in exhaustion, and Cid handed her one of the roasted spits of meat sympathetically.

"I think I'm out of practice," Yuffie mumbled between bites, sighing as she finished the small meal all too quickly. "Camping never used to be this hard," she grumbled. "I really spoiled that stupid chocobo, too. The little ingrate actually looked pissed that I was only giving him gysahls instead of the expensive stuff!"

Cid shrugged noncommittally; during his bachelor years in the aerospace program, he had eaten worse. Of course, it had been a long time since those days of living off of vacuum-packed Shinra rations; ever since Shera moved in with him, she had taken care of all the cooking. "Huh," he grunted, forcing himself to finish the meal even though his appetite had faded with the thought of the other woman.

"You thinking of her?" he heard Yuffie ask quietly.

Cid glanced up and saw that she had drawn her knees up under her chin and was staring into the fire. She looked young and lost, and her mouth was drawn into a slight frown. He sighed and tossed his stick into the fire. "Yeah," he grumbled, leaning back onto his elbows and cautiously placing his hand against the small of her back. When she didn't pull away, he began to trace small circles against her skin absently. "Her… and you."

"I don't regret anything," Yuffie said stubbornly, her hands tightening around her legs. They felt another crossroad looming before them, and Yuffie swallowed heavily. _I'm not ready to stop travelling down this path just yet,_ she thought with a nervous twitch. _Can't we just leave reality behind for a few days longer?_ Shaking her head, she forced herself to think of something else. "Hah," she laughed suddenly, resting her cheek against her knees. "Guess I'm gonna have to lie to Godo now."

Cid raised an eyebrow and turned to face Yuffie. "The hell are you talkin' about?" he asked her. "You actually thinkin' about tellin' your pop that we fucked!" he continued incredulously even as he began to imagine Godo's angry, flushed face looming above him with the promise of a slow, painful death.

Yuffie laughed at Cid's expression and leaned towards him, kissing him on the lips gently. She felt his mouth curl into a grin and then yelped as his tongue flicked out and forcefully parted her lips. They lost themselves in the heady kiss for a while, but Yuffie finally managed to pull back, blinking hazily. Cid's pupils were dilated, turning his eyes the colour of dark sapphires in the evening light. She realized that her look must have mirrored his own, because he leaned forward to kiss her again. Quickly she held up her fingers to his lips, sighing as he nipped at them playfully and giving him a fake scowl.

"Hey, I'm trying to tell you something here," she grumbled good-naturedly. "Of course I'm not going to mention this to Godo! He'd transform himself again and beast-sword our butts into the moon!" she giggled nervously. Then she sighed and leaned forward, resting her chin on her knees again. "Seriously, though. Losing your virginity is still such a big deal in Wutai! Godo would totally bust a gut if he knew."

Cid frowned uncomfortably. He still remembered what she had whispered in his arms when he was being consumed by his jealous rage; it was burned into his memory just as much as the feel of her gentle touch. He opened his mouth and closed it again, debating with himself. _Fuck, it's good right now,_ he thought sourly. _Leave well enough alone._

"I can tell you wanna ask me something," Yuffie said, prodding him gently. "It's… umm, it's about what you said earlier, isn't it? While we were… well, you know," she fumbled, blushing slightly and getting cutely flustered at the memory.

"Naw, you don't have to tell me anything," he said quickly, his hand resuming a comforting path over her back. "Fuckin' pot callin' the kettle black, that's what it was," he grunted uncomfortably. That didn't change the fact that the thought of Cloud even touching Yuffie made him want to lunge for his spear and shove it through the other blonde's passive face. His free hand clenched into a fist at his side and his mouth dropped into a scowl. He turned to look at Yuffie as he heard her cluck her tongue loudly.

"Lighten up already! I really was a virgin," Yuffie said crossly, reaching out to smack Cid over his head. She checked her hand before she completed the swing, instead dropping her palm to Cid's cheek and cupping his face gently. "They say it's supposed to hurt and stuff the first time," she mumbled as a blush graced her face. "But, well… it's sort of a problem for all the girl trainees in Wutai, at least the ones who take all that ninja stuff seriously," she added. "By the time we're old enough to get married, they've run us so hard that sometimes it's just… not there anymore," she fumbled, feeling her face turn red in the firelight. Telling Cid the secrets of the female members of the Wutanese ninja clan was not high on her list of fun things to do during a vacation. Still, if the angry look on his face was any indicator, she figured that he needed to hear it from her before he ruptured a vein in his forehead. "They even make us swear a totally humiliating public vow before we get married. 'I swear on my family's honour that I am as pure as the newly fallen snow, blah blah blah…'" she added with a grimace. It quickly turned into a smug grin. "Chekhov always told me training as a ninja was _'the easy way to open the gates of paradise,'_" she snickered.

"Can't fuckin' argue with that," Cid agreed readily as he reached for Yuffie again. He had almost managed to convince himself that it didn't matter, but hearing that he was the only one to have claimed her had made the desire to touch her almost unbearable.

Yuffie allowed him to move closer, his kisses and licks growing heated and urgent, slowly stoking the simmering fire in her own body. She pushed him away, however, when he began to tilt them towards the ground. _It would be so easy to just forget everything,_ she realized as she gasped for breath and directed her gaze to the dark sky above.

Cid sighed heavily as he drew away from her. "Damn, woman. You're driving me out of my fuckin' mind," he mumbled more to himself than to her. Yuffie's breathless giggle made him reach out and pull her against him despite her protests, and he silenced her with a quick kiss. "We ain't gotta do anything right now, babe," he told her, guiding her head to the crook of his arm and settling against the ground. He heard her sigh in contentment and they both fell silent, staring up into the clear evening sky. He mulled over what Yuffie had told him, and a small frown crossed his face. "You were plannin' on getting married to some boy back home one of these days?" he asked her cautiously. He gave a slight mental sigh of relief as Yuffie broke into a few more of her trademark snorts, giggling against his shoulder.

"Gawd, Cid! Of course not!" Her laughter died out slowly, and she pressed her face into him briefly. "Well… I mean, I always thought I would eventually, you know. I just sorta had that little lack-of-interest problem getting in the way. Boys in Wutai don't really like it when a girl looks 'em in the eye," she said levelly. She let out another sigh, this one quieter than before. "I always figured I had more time," she added in a small voice.

"You do," Cid answered her gruffly with an enthusiasm that he didn't feel. Sensing that she needed a little comfort he gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze, but not without adding his own tidbit of wisdom, Highwind-style. "… hell, just promise me you don't tie the knot with some fool just 'cause you're thinking stupid shit about running outta time or somethin'."

Yuffie smiled against his shoulder, her hand wrapping around his waist. "Yes, Cid, I promise," she said with a note of dry amusement. The smile faded, and she pressed her lips against his chest hesitantly before raising her head. "What about you?" she whispered cautiously. "Do you ever think about getting married and starting a family?" It was her subtle, careful attempt to open up the painful topic that still hovered between them like a spectre.

Cid exhaled slowly, staring at the stars and thinking about how much better they looked from a distance. "All the fuckin' time," he finally admitted gruffly. "What I wouldn't give to stop fuckin' around and settle down with her," he added, shutting his eyes and blocking out the image of the speckled sky above. He gave Yuffie's shoulder another squeeze, sighing heavily. "She… she ain't like that, though," he added roughly, nearly-forgotten pain bubbling up under his words. "Shera doesn't let anybody get too close," he muttered.

"Not even you?" Yuffie asked quietly, curling her fingers into Cid's shirt.

"Especially not me," Cid replied morosely.

Yuffie felt as though she was ripping herself in half slowly; on the one hand, she wanted to soothe away the raw pain so evident in man's voice, to reassure him childishly that somehow everything would be alright in the end. On the other hand, part of her took a secret guilty pleasure in hearing his struggle; the petulant, envious part of her that still dreamed about knights in shining armour and whispered declarations of undying love. It was an ugly, jealous piece of her heart that she had been vainly hoping was left behind during her adventures with the rest of AVALANCHE; she had been half-convinced that it had died along with Aeris. Pure, sweet, kind Aeris, whose example she was trying so hard to follow with so little success; the Cetra was a saint who didn't have a jealous bone in her entire body. Hearing Cid speak about Shera with so much emotion shattered her resolve and brought her old feelings back to life in a fierce, overwhelming swell. She struggled to tamp it down, trying to remember the mature adult she was supposed to be. In the end, her growing fear of upsetting the delicate, still-fragile connection she had formed with Cid managed to check her malicious thoughts more effectively than any desire to be a good person.

Cid was thankfully oblivious to Yuffie's internal struggle, lost in his own. _Fuck… marriage? I couldn't even look her in the eyes before. Hell, don't know if I'll ever be able to look her in the damn eyes again after this._ He had always been a man of action; now, he felt lost, floundering in his indecision. It made him angry, mostly angry at himself for being weak. _For being like Cloud._ Thinking of the other spiky-haired blonde only made him angrier. Even he hadn't been dense enough to ignore the effects Cloud's torn affection had created in both Tifa and Aeris. Then Aeris conveniently solved the problem by getting herself killed and left behind not one, but two broken hearts in her wake. Three, if he counted the fallout from Cloud's rebuttal of Yuffie. Love triangles were a messy business, and the last thing he wanted was to be caught in the middle of one.

Yuffie let out a disconsolate sigh, and his arm tightened around her automatically.

_Shit,_ he thought slowly. He had been so busy agonizing over the imagined crossroad in their relationship that he hadn't even noticed he had already chosen a path. "I fuckin' hate triangles," he swore out loud absently.

"At least it's not a quadrangle," came Yuffie's muffled reply; strangely, he wasn't surprised that she knew what he was thinking. It was as if their close proximity allowed them to share the same mental wavelength at times. "Cloud's too much of a butthead to fit nicely into any kind of relationship geometry," she giggled mirthlessly. "Maybe it's because of his hair."

Cid grunted in amusement before falling silent. Privately, he was relieved that she had indirectly admitted to more than just a passing fascination with his lewd advances. But that left a much bigger problem for them both; it would have been easier, he realized, if it had just been about sex. "What the hell are we gonna do, Yu?" he asked wearily.

"I dunno," Yuffie answered, pulling away from him and sitting up. She stood up and threw a few more sticks of wood into the fire before settling down again, though this time further away from him.

Cid remained sprawled across the ground for a few moments longer, mourning the loss of her warmth against his side before he pulled himself upright. "Shit, Yu, I don't even know what the hell I'm doin' here. If someone told me three days ago that I'd be fuckin' you in the middle of the goddamn woods, I'd have called him an asshole and rearranged his face for gettin' fresh with me." He bent over and ran his hands through his hair, then hit the ground with a closed fist. "Now I don't even know which way is up anymore," he ground out. His eyes opened and he stared at Yuffie hungrily as his lust sparked. "The only thing I know right now is that I need you. Fuck, woman… I can't get you outta my goddamn head," he growled, breathing heavily.

Yuffie's face turned pink, trapped under his intense stare, and she looked away as she felt her own body responding to his gaze alone, anticipating his touch. "I know," she whispered shakily. "I know we shouldn't be doing this. I don't wanna be the one who messes up what you have with Shera, but I can't help myself," she murmured, her voice rising in pitch as the words spilled out of her. "I want you," she cried out suddenly, staring at Cid openly with naked desire and at the same time deeply ashamed of her feelings. "I want you even more than I wanted your materia back when I thought it could actually save Wutai! I want to have you all for myself and I know I'm being greedy and impulsive and immature and unfair," she sobbed, dropping her head into her knees and shaking slightly. "But I can't help it," she added brokenly, her hands scrabbling at the rocky ground and pulling up loose clumps of moss. Cid stared at her silently from across the fire, and she finally broke down, unable to take his scrutiny. "Well, say something!" she yelled at him, flinging a clod of dirt in his direction.

"You shouldn't feel that way about an old bastard like me," Cid answered finally, brushing the dirt away from where it had hit him squarely in the forehead. Yuffie had good aim, too good sometimes, he noted. She certainly found the chink in the armour that was protecting his heart and wasted no time in worming her way past the barriers there. _Fuckin' annoying woman,_ he thought to himself tenderly; with a slight pang of regret, he realized that the days of referring to her as a 'kid' were irrevocably over.

"And why do you keep calling yourself that?" Yuffie fired back hotly. "For cryin' out loud, Cid, sometimes your geriatric attitude makes even me feel old!"

"Should I take offence that you ain't got a problem with callin' me a bastard?" he quipped with a slight smile. It slid off his face as Yuffie continued to glare at him angrily.

"Damn it, Cid, don't crack a joke right now!" she finally screeched, her lip quivering. "I just ripped my chest open and spilled my heart onto the floor at your feet! If you start tap dancing around it right now I'm gonna pull your liver out through your nose, you asshole!"

"Holy shit… alright, alright, calm down!" Cid yelled back, staring at Yuffie in shock.

"Wark!" agreed a very annoyed chocobo from the edge of the trees, who had been woken by their loud argument.

Yuffie managed to remain upright for a few moments longer, quivering, before her face crumpled into a grin. It was infectious, and before long both she and Cid were laughing wildly into the night air. The chocobo let out another warble of discontent and tried to ignore the two obviously mad humans by the fire.

Cid managed to recover first, sitting up and crossing over to Yuffie's side. He grabbed her chin and gently wiped the tears of panicked mirth away from her eyes.

Her smile slowly faded and she stared into his eyes, her throat catching in fear. "Well, here we are again," she whispered.

"You know what I think?" Cid murmured, bending forward and hovering over her jaw. He was so close that she could feel his day-old stubble prickling against her chin. "You sittin' there all ready to spit fire an' brimstone at me was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen in my whole goddamn life."

Yuffie turned her head slightly, holding her breath, and her lips brushed his cheek. They both drew back slightly, the brief touch more painfully vivid than even the most passionate of their kisses.

"I knew you liked living dangerously," Yuffie said with a tiny grin, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek again, and he turned his head before she could pull away, finding her lips with his own as he grasped her neck and pulled her against him. They broke off only when the need for air interrupted them, breathing heavily and leaning against each other.

"Yuffie," Cid groaned softly as he cradled her in his arms. He realized she was shaking slightly, and tried to calm her with light, soothing kisses along the base of her neck.

"I don't care," Yuffie said quietly, her hands tracing light, ticklish paths across his back. "Even if you're just using me because of Shera, I don't care," she sighed. "It just feels too nice right now. I know you think I should probably get away while I can, but it's already too late." She sighed against his shoulder, a small, wistful sound, and it made Cid's heart clench in his chest painfully.

"Is that what you think?" he said lowly, carefully wrapping his arms around her. "That I'm just usin' you?"

"Can you really ask me to hope that you're doing anything else?" Yuffie answered, closing her eyes. She stilled suddenly, feeling him suck in his breath to respond, and quickly put her hand over his lips; she knew that whatever answer he gave her would be at least partially false. _No… not ready,_ she realized faintly. She had stepped too far; she had just asked him if he was willing to forget his nine years spent together with Shera all for their little three day fling. _No… if I'm not ready, how can he be? I wouldn't feel this way about him if he could just throw away Shera like a used piece of junk after all that time._ She sighed again and shook her head. "Don't answer that yet," she whispered to him. "That was a mean question."

"At least you're askin' them," Cid replied, burying his face into her hair. "Yuffie, I—"

"Stop thinking so much," Yuffie demanded suddenly, throwing herself into him and pushing him to the ground. "Just… shut up," she murmured, closing her eyes and kissing his throat. "I just want to feel tonight. Just for tonight… maybe it'll last forever."

She sat up over him, a silhouette framed by the black night and the red-orange glow of the fire. His breath caught in his throat; she was beautiful, a dark angel who was pulling out his long-forgotten needs, immolating him with her desire. He couldn't resist her, only vaguely aware of their actions as clothing became scattered and quickly forgotten; she kissed him fiercely, desperately, and he responded in kind, unable or perhaps unwilling to catch himself as they fell together.

The night burned away in a tangle of limbs and sharp sensation as they twisted and pulled and desperately reached for one another, each trying to find the light.


	9. Face the Music

**Chapter 9: Face the Music**

Cid woke in the strange, muted light of pre-dawn; there was a slight chill in the air and grey mist permutated their surroundings, cloaking the mountainside in an otherworldly atmosphere. He might have waxed poetic about it, if it hadn't been for the excruciating stiffness in his neck and back. Sleeping exposed on the hard, rocky ground of the mountainside tended to chase away his poetic tendencies with much more earthy vocal complaints. Turning his head, his usual morning scowl softened exponentially as he took in Yuffie's sleeping form.

She was curled up into a tight ball next to him, her features slack with the serenity of her blissful torpor. He had pooled the messy bundles of their discarded clothing around her body in an attempt to make her rest slightly more forgiving; apparently, it had worked to some extent because she had fisted his shirt under her chin like a blanket and was sleeping peacefully. He noted with a twinge of amusement that she was drooling into the dark fabric, and wondered briefly if he could get away with tricking her into washing his clothing again before they left.

_When we leave._ Cid felt a frown slip across his face, and quietly rose and made his way to the small stream of water that had heralded the start of their problems. _Naw,_ he corrected himself shortly as he steeled himself against the shock of cold; _our problems started a helluva lot earlier._ After a long drink and a quick wash, Cid was more than ready to disrupt Yuffie's sleep in favour of the comfort of wearing his own clothing. His resolve crumbled when he returned to the camp; she looked so innocent and fetching, with delicious stretches of her white skin peeking out from underneath the tangle of his dark clothes that he couldn't bring himself to wake her. Instead, he settled for gathering some of the now-tattered glider fabric from her pack to use as a makeshift towel around his waist and rekindled the fire.

There was only so much Cid could do without disturbing Yuffie's sleep while not swathed in the luxury of his clothing, so after a few minutes of bored contemplation he grabbed a small stick of firewood and began to whittle it into a toothpick-sized splint with the knife. "I could kill for a smoke right now," he exhaled to himself slightly unsteadily. Not that sleeping with Yuffie didn't take away the sting, but some things were just irreplaceable. "Shit, I'd fight a marlboro with my bare hands if he'd fuckin' drop one," he grunted, smoothing out the bit of wood with a final scrape and sticking it in his mouth. It was yet another reason he knew they would have to be getting back to civilization soon; Cid figured he could hold out for another day at the most, but not even nine years of devotion to Shera could keep him from his cigarettes.

"Sorry, Yu," he chuckled out loud, picking up another, larger stick and beginning to work at paring it down. He alternated between watching the small curls of wood drift into the fire and turn black as the flames consumed them and staring at Yuffie as she slept. _Somethin' ain't right,_ he thought to himself abstractedly as he shaved another curl off of the branch he was holding. _But what the hell is it? Besides the fact that this fuckin' material is makin' my ass itch… _ Absently he yawned and moved to scratch said itch, and his eyes fell on Yuffie again, a half-smile crossing his face. Then he caught himself and choked, nearly slicing open his palm in the process as the knife slipped.

"Holy shit," he murmured, his hands going lax as he studied the girl's face intently. His earlier vague notion of strangeness sharpened into clear relief. _I've never in my entire goddamned life woken up with a woman before,_ he realized. He shut his eyes and briefly inventoried his relatively sparse history with other women; slept with? _Check._ Lived with? _Check._ Spent five years pining after without any results? _Double-fucking-check, yeah._ But woken up with after a shared night of passion? That was a completely new experience for him. Most of Cid's youthful amorous encounters had involved getting blindingly drunk, satisfying his urges, and then cutting out immediately afterwards before the woman could develop any unwanted notions of cementing a more serious relationship with him. It had been different with Shera, of all the bitter ironies in his life; the one time he had actually wanted something more permanent, he couldn't reach it. Even after their lone night together he had woken up in her bed alone. Now, the beds were lacking, but the company was not. And to his surprise, it was a strangely pleasing experience.

"God," he murmured again, this time with a muted note of amazement. _Is this what I've been missing out on my whole damn life?_ he wondered. It was common knowledge that sex with a willing partner was good, but Cid found himself wondering why no one had ever mentioned the strange, warm feeling of contentment that came from waking in the company of someone you cared about. It had been so comfortable and natural that he hadn't even realized it at first; now, he felt so full of emotion that his hands refused to hold steady when he tried to resume whittling. With a silent curse, he discarded the stick and knife and knelt down next to Yuffie, stretching himself out behind her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, breathing in the heady mixture of pine-sweat-chocobo-and-most-of-all-himself scent that surrounded her; he cradled her in his arms and tried to come to grips with how unexpectedly lucky he felt.

Yuffie murmured and shifted slightly, turning into Cid's arms and rubbing her cheek against his chest. Her eyes cracked open sleepily, and she blinked a few times before she managed to fuzzily focus on him and smile. "G'mornin," she mumbled, stifling another yawn. "You sleep okay?" she sighed lazily, releasing her death grip on his shirt in favour of returning his embrace.

Cid swallowed and closed his eyes, guiding her head against his chest so she wouldn't see his face. _She don't know it yet,_ he realized; unlike him, she was free from the dulled cynicism that came with too much casual sex and too many bitter mornings spent with only yourself as company. _Maybe she won't ever know it,_ he hoped rashly.

"Mmm," Yuffie mumbled again, her breath tickling his chest as she smiled against him. "Well, somebody's feeling grabby this morning," she giggled lightly.

He waited until he was sure his voice was steady to answer her. "I slept fine, Yu. Just fine." He felt the breath leave him as though someone had punched him in the gut when she looked up, a ready smile on her face, and tried to wipe the telltale traces of surprise away from his expression. It didn't work completely, because she drew her eyebrows together curiously as she studied him, and then gave him a tiny, worried smile.

"Are you really okay?" she asked, her concern shaking away the last vestiges of her sleep-induced lethargy to Cid's minor disappointment. With a shake of his head, he drew her into a crushing hug and inhaled deeply, his heart slowing down gradually when she squeezed him back.

"I'm fine now," he answered, closing his eyes.

"Hmm," Yuffie said, pulling out of his arms and staring at him thoughtfully. "Okay, whatever," she laughed when he broke her probing gaze with a playful nip at her neck. "Leggo, I have to pee!" she threatened, smirking victoriously at him when he released her suddenly. She rolled to her feet nimbly and threw his shirt at him, still giggling as she gathered her own clothes from the messy pile. "Get dressed before we get distracted again," she instructed with a stern look before flouncing off to the stream to wash up. By the time she returned, Cid had already changed and was busily trying to douse the fire with some dirt. He was unaware of her presence, and she stared at him appreciatively for some moments as he worked in the morning light. She liked the clean, hard lines that his figure cut against the early morning sky, a harsh, earthy contrast to their ethereal surroundings. _Why can't I ever fall in love with the normal ones?_ she wondered to herself for the umpteenth time, before shrugging slightly. "Because normal is boring," she muttered to herself with a grin, making sure to step loudly on a dry twig before approaching Cid.

"Hey babe," Cid greeted her, looking up briefly from his fruitless efforts to tamp out the stubborn charcoal.

"That'd be a whole lot easier if you'd just use your head," Yuffie smirked, grabbing his arm when he paused to glare at her. She gripped his wrist firmly and guided his free hand over the materia-laden bracelet there. "It's not that hard to pull out the right type spell from a Master magic crystal," she told him, pressing his fingers against the small green orb. Warm light flickered briefly in the heart of the materia under his touch, but died out all too quickly.

"Yu, I ain't any good with this high-end magic shit," Cid replied uncomfortably, trying to pull out of her grasp. Her grip tightened, and he realized she wasn't going to let him go that easily.

"That's only 'cause no one ever taught you," she answered quickly. "C'mon, Cid, if someone as dumb as me can do it, then you know you can too!" she said helpfully.

Cid twisted his arm around and grabbed her wrist in response. He glared at Yuffie until she raised her eyes to meet his angry stare. "Don't sell yourself so fuckin' short," he told her firmly, keeping his grip hard until she nodded in submission. Then he released her and gave her a wry smile. "'Sides, I hate this shit. Always think I'm gonna end up fryin' my own ass even with the small stuff," he added.

"It's not that hard! C'mon, at least let me show you. This could save your life you know!" she added doggedly. Cid's cynical expression remained firmly fixed, and Yuffie's lips turned downwards in a cute pout.

"Aww, shit," he grumbled. "It ain't fair when you fight dirty like that," he sulked, capitulating and offering her his hand as a large smile lit her face.

"Trust me, you won't regret this!" she crowed, grabbing his wrist again eagerly and placing his fingers over the green orb.

"Where have I heard that before," Cid grumbled, but he allowed her to guide him despite his misgivings.

Yuffie let out an irate sigh, and then began to explain quickly. "With a normal piece of spell materia, you can just pull as hard as ya like and the spell will come flying out of it," she began. "I can see that's what you're used to doing every time you try to cast," she added. "It's a little harder with mastered materia because you have to concentrate on how much you pull to get the right effect."

As she spoke, her fingers wrapped over his, sharing his touch to the materia. Cid choked out a surprised exclamation as he felt her draw out the magic between his fingers; materia conducted itself by sapping strength from its user and releasing it in the form of energy shaped by the nature of the orb that was used. That use was generally controlled by contact with the flesh of the intended target; it was the reason why almost all materia holders were combined with either close-contact armour like a bracelet or, for more destructive purposes, prominently mounted on the surface of a weapon. Every schoolchild had to live through a basic lecture on the proper usage of materia and its potential dangers; because of the extreme mental fatigue and control that spell casting required, however, very few people chose to use more than the most rudimentary of the orbs. The master spell orb that Yuffie had pulled from was the hybrid result of normal magical materia combined with the power of the huge materia they had gathered during their quest to stop Sephiroth's meteor from destroying the planet five years ago. It was very rare and much more potent than anything Cid had ever handled before, and he could feel the dangerously warm current of magic swirling under his fingertips like a coiled serpent waiting to strike.

With a grunt of surprise, he felt her tug at that volatile energy, coaxing it out of the tiny orb and through him. The electric shock of magic bloomed under their touch, electrifying him as it was briefly conducted through their intertwined fingers before emptying itself completely into her. It was a highly uncomfortable and yet strangely intimate experience that took them both by surprise. When it passed, Cid was left feeling drained, as though he had done the casting. A moment later Yuffie let out a shaky gasp and released him with an inarticulate cry, sending the uncontrolled spell energy hurtling towards the campfire. The huge boulder of ice that slammed out of the ground with explosive force was almost as large as their chocobo and clearly unexpected by either of them. It extinguished the dying flames almost immediately and sent chips of wood and quickly-melting shards of ice flying in all directions when it burst apart moments later.

Cid reacted almost immediately, grabbing Yuffie and turning his back to the explosion before any of the splinters could hit her. They weren't harmful, leaving at best only a few scratches and an intense feeling of coldness on the exposed sides of his arms and neck, but the sudden shock of the spell had taken them both by surprise.

"Oh! Heh heh…" Yuffie mumbled, her face flushing red as she stared at Cid apologetically. "Umm, I guess I sorta drew out too much energy there," she mumbled, peering over his side at the mangled remains of what was once their camp. "That was one heck of an ice spell, wasn't it though?" she added with mounting eagerness.

Cid didn't trust the gleam in her eye and quickly freed himself from the bracelet, handing it back to Yuffie. "I think the fuckin' loan is over," he said firmly, convinced more than ever of his love for his trusty spear and good-old-fashioned fistfights.

"But—" Yuffie began excitedly.

"FUCK NO!" Cid yelled loudly, though he was unable to stop his grin from surfacing as she scrunched up her face and stomped away from him in a huff. Following her, he settled himself against a tree trunk and scratched his chin with boredom as he watched her. She pulled out the hang glider's remaining aluminium poles out of her pack and carefully set them on the ground. There wasn't very much left of the tattered glider or anything else in her pack, and again Cid was reminded of their need to get back to a town before they truly had to start roughing it. He sighed and settled back against the tree, feeling surly because of the unavoidable monkey-wrench that reality was throwing into their unexpected tryst. "We ain't gonna make it to the Chocobo Farm, are we?" he rumbled after a few moments, watching her piece together the thicker poles.

Yuffie's hands slowed, and she bit her lip. Then with a frown, she stood up and pushed two of the thicker poles into Cid's hands, ignoring his question. "Hold these steady… yeah, just like that," she said, adjusting his grip slightly. "You've got your gloves on? Good, don't move," she added. Her hand flew to the materia bracelet, once again clamped to her upper arm, and was immediately swallowed by the soft green glow of magic. Cid let out a curse and nearly dropped the metal as she held her palm over the juncture of the two poles and let the fiery spell erupt over the metal in a controlled blast, twisting and melting the two bars together. The heat was intense and so bright that he had to squint, but she managed to keep the powerful spell under control with a finesse that spoke of years of casting practice. "Go run that under the water," she said, immediately turning away and sorting through the remaining metal poles on the ground carefully.

"You wanna tell me what's goin' on in that pretty lil' head of yours, babe?" Cid asked her suspiciously, but she only winked at him and stuck out her tongue.

"It's a secret. Now go go go!" she added, shooing him away. When he returned, she was tapping another metal pole against her shoulder impatiently, and forced him to repeat the process. When he left to douse the pole in the cold stream of water a second time, she followed him; after he was done, she made him hold it out at an angle before her. "Now, keep it steady and turn it when I tell you to, she murmured, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she glanced over him.

"Only if you give me a fuckin' clue as to what you're doin'," Cid answered, his patience wearing thin.

"Well, since you won't use magic, I have to think up of something else for you, right?" Yuffie answered. Then, before he could protest, she reached for his waist and snatched her knife out from his belt. "Too slow," she giggled, flipping it expertly between her knuckles before pressing it into his free hand. "You'll see soon enough. Ready?"

He realized what she was doing as she brought the hilt of the knife to the tip of the pole, and he carefully held the metal together as she heated them with another spell. When it was finished, he cooled the makeshift spear under the stream of water a final time and hefted it in his hands. "Too damn light and the balance is shit," he mumbled, turning it carefully in his hands and testing the weight of the weapon experimentally.

Yuffie crossed her arms and let her face drop into a pout. "Well, we're not exactly working with great material here," she huffed. "Except for that knife, that really is one of my best," she added, her annoyance becoming apparent.

Cid mentally gave himself a kick and hefted the thin spear upright. "Shit. I mean I appreciate the thought," he apologized gruffly, still somewhat surprised by her unexpected gift.

Yuffie ignored him, scrutinizing the spear thoughtfully. "Lemmie see that," she said, grabbing it out of his hands. Her frown deepened as the weapon slid forward in her grasp, unbalanced by the top-heavy weight of the knife on its tip. "I got it!" she said, snapping her fingers with a bright smile. Then she reached up and pulled her headband loose.

As her short hair fell away from its constraint, Cid had to suck in his breath. With a relieved sigh she shook out her hair, whipping it back and forth. The morning sun caught in its loose strands, haloing her with a warm golden glow. With her chin tilted back and her eyes closed in relaxation, she was breathtaking to him. Yuffie was no feminine beauty, but she did exude a certain vitality and cheerfulness that was rare to find in anyone. It was intoxicating and vibrant, and it surrounded her with a unique charm that had little to do with her outward appearance. It shone through clearly in that moment, however, nearly blinding him with the intensity of her presence. He felt a strangely familiar pull in his chest, the one that he had thought was reserved for Shera alone; only this pull didn't come spiked with quite as many thorns of shame and regret. He wanted to reach out and grab her hair, trap its teasing strands between his fingers and then pull her close for a deep, long kiss. Yuffie opened her eyes then, setting back to work on the spear, and the moment of opportunity passed. His gaze as he watched her afterward was reserved, however; somehow he knew that no matter what happened or how dark his future might become, he would always have that moment of perfect beauty for himself.

"This should give it some balance," Yuffie explained cheerfully as she wrapped the band a few times around the end of the spear and secured it there with a tight knot. The heavy beads ornamenting the edges of her headband clacked noisily together and with a proud smile Yuffie presented the finished spear to Cid. "Besides, it's a stylish weapon now. And if you're gonna fight anyway, you might as well look good when you do it!"

Cid looked at the weapon wordlessly, critically weighing it in his hands. It was still much too light, a flimsy little spear with bad balance and poor craftsmanship in comparison to his own trusted lance. Still, with the additional weight of her headband he could make it usable, and it was a much better option that fighting with the knife alone. The technical failings of the crude spear were hardly what mattered to Cid right then, though; he had to busy himself with a few cursory sweeps of the weapon so that the girl wouldn't be able to see the expression on his face. He already knew that Yuffie's clumsy spear was much more precious to him than the Venus Gospel would ever be.

"Ohh," Yuffie squealed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together excitedly before scrambling out of his way onto the rocks. "Yeah, test it out, show me what you got!" she cheered excitedly, clearly expecting a show.

Cid dropped the nose of his spear to the ground and shot her a half-amused glare, grumbling between his teeth about women and their constant need for entertainment. Yuffie only smirked in agreement and crossed her arms, watching him expectantly. Cid sighed and held the spear out, scraping a rough circle into the rock around him. Yuffie leaned forward interestedly and caught his gaze. "I always thought you just stuck the pointy end into the bad guy," she quipped though her voice held a note of real curiosity.

"You mean you never bothered to watch me during a single fuckin' battle?" Cid replied incredulously, his pride suffering a slight blow.

"That was five years ago!" Yuffie complained, rolling her eyes upward. "Besides, whenever we fought together, I was always sorta busy doing other stuff. You know, like trying to save my own hide!" she answered tartly.

Cid grunted and leaned on his spear, glaring at her in response. "Well hell. Of course I know how to fight with a fuckin' spear. Learned it in school, just like everyone else! What'd ya think I did with them, use 'em to scratch my ass?" he barked at her.

"Geez! Relax, I'm just teasing you!" Yuffie said placatingly. "Not everybody learns how to fight with a spear in school you know," she continued. "It's not the weapon of choice for the real psychopaths. Most people with violent impulses resort to swords or guns, they're easier!"

"Well, I took a goddamn spear instead. Now do you want to see this or not?" he grumbled, still mildly displeased.

Yuffie just dropped her shoulders and shook her head, than leaned back on her hands with an eager smile. "I'm waiting," she sang out teasingly. "Try to impress me!"

_She wants a challenge, eh?_ Cid thought to himself with a smirk. He stretched briefly, trying to dig up dusty memories of old forms and half-forgotten battles. Truth be told, though he had been passionate about the study of martial spear fighting in his younger days, his love of aviation had cooled the desire to pursue the sport any further than his college years. He had practically forgotten everything that he had learned until the day AVALANCHE literally landed on his front doorstep. The memories had returned quickly back then, considering that they were necessary for their survival. Since that time, though, Cid's practices with his lance had been few and far-between, mostly because of his ever-present fear of somehow upsetting Shera with even the hint of a violent display. His palms tightened with a touch of nervousness as he felt Yuffie staring at him, and he wondered if he actually would be able to impress her at all. Considering that she came directly from Wutai, birthplace of practically all martial arts in the world, he doubted it.

He tested the balance of the spear one more time, familiarizing himself with its lighter weight and speed, and then held it out before him, letting his eyes close. The vision of Yuffie's head tilted back while framed by the soft morning light filled his imagination, and his confidence returned. _I still remember,_ he realized as he held the spear out behind one arm and dropped into a battle crouch.

Half-turning, he swung around with a small skip and threw himself into the simplest kata he could remember. Spear fighting wasn't simply about thrusting the pointed edge of the pole into your target no matter how much he joked about it with Yuffie; serious students of the art knew that it was really an intricate dance, much like fencing. Only unlike fighting with a thin rapier, handling a weapon twice its size with an equal amount of dexterity and skill took significantly more strength.

Cid whipped the spear around himself smoothly, hearing it whistle as it cut through the air, and then held it out stiffly before him, his feet carefully skirting the edges of the ring as he circled an imaginary opponent. Then with a twist and a snap of his wrist, he struck, the pole arcing quickly across the length of the ring with a surprising amount of reach before he pulled it in and stepped back quickly, sweeping it diagonally in a defensive block. Another turn, and the motion began to flow out from him naturally, dulled only slightly from lack of practice. _Step forward, now! Fake to throw them off, then hit low and turn…_ he mentally chanted through the kata, memory guiding his hands and feet as they fell into the pattern of the dance. He was so absorbed in the form that he forgot to swear, forgot even the audience that had spurred him to remember in the first place.

Yuffie didn't notice as Cid lost himself in the exercise, however; she had been surprised from the moment she saw him draw the familiar battle ring. Every student of martial arts knew that ring by heart; she had filled such rings with her own sweat and blood many times over during her training as a ninja. Of all the things she had expected Cid to do, seeing him display one of Wutai's very own martial forms was the least of them. Seeing him do it _well_ was an even bigger shock, one that made pride swell in her chest not only for the blonde man but also for her own country. _And he **does** do it well,_ she noted with rapt fascination. Cid was better than she had guessed; though he had started off slowly, it was clear from his stance alone that he knew what he was doing. He jabbed forward and swooped back quickly, and she found herself drawn to the line of his body as he stood poised with the spear, tense and yet ready to melt into another swift, devastating attack at the slightest provocation. It was strange; with his tall stature and heavily chiselled musculature, _graceful_ was not quite the word Yuffie would have thought she could ever associate with a person like Cid. It still wasn't, she realized as he slid into another high thrust and then slashed the spear downwards brutally, ending the attack and his kata with a loud shout. _Not graceful. Deadly._ It sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine; she liked watching him fight, focusing all of his rough energy into a series of smoothly controlled lethal releases.

Slowly, Cid straightened up and propped the spear into the ground at his side, cracking his neck and wiping away the sweat that had gathered on his brow. His arms and legs were burning, and his lungs were too. _Shit,_ he thought, inhaling deeply. _Maybe I really should lay off the goddamn cigs for a little while longer. _Propping the spear up over his shoulders, he winced as hung his arms off of it and turned to face Yuffie. "I'm out of fuckin' practice," he growled, mostly angry at himself as he realized just how long it had been since he had trained with his lances properly. "I got too goddamn slow," he swore, shaking his head in disgust. Remembering her request, he directed a slow, sheepish grin towards her, unwilling to look her in the eyes and catch her potential disappointment or even worse, pity. "Guess I should apologize for that sorry ass display," he added. His words caught in his throat as he felt Yuffie latch her arms around him and pull herself up to plant a searing kiss on his lips.

"I loved it!" she said when she finally broke off, looking at him with sparkling admiration. "Gawd, Cid, why didn't you tell me you could do that?" she breathed. "I think you broke my impressed-o-meter!" She laughed and released him, spinning around in delight. "I could watch you fight forever! Well, maybe not forever, it'd be too tempting to join in after a while," she added, already forming excuses to spar with him in her mind. It was exhilarating in a way she knew she could never properly express to the confused pilot; seeing Cid fight in the style of her own people had left an indelible mark in the way she viewed him. Even though he was a foreigner she now knew that he shared in a part of Wutai's heritage, had carried its honour within himself every time he used his lances and spears. She recognized that he wouldn't understand, knew that he probably wouldn't even realize why she was so happy, but that didn't matter at all. Throwing her arms around him again, she buried her head in his chest, unable to contain her smile. "Thank you," she whispered, squeezing him tightly.

Cid responded with a small grunt of confused satisfaction; if watching him fumble his way through his training with a rusty memory made her so happy, it was more than enough motivation to spark the urge to practice again on a regular basis no matter what Shera thought of it. He winced as Yuffie's grip around him tightened, however, reminding him that his lungs still needed a chance to recover. "Ahh… Yu… let a man catch his breath," he gasped out, gently pushing her away.

"Oh… sorry," she giggled, reaching for her bracelet and showering him with a small curative spell unexpectedly. She smiled at his grateful nod and grasped his hand in her own, pulling him back towards their chocobo. "What should we do today then?" she asked lightly as she released the bird's tether and mounted it. Cid climbed on behind her, one hand closing around her waist as the other carefully tucked the spear horizontally at their side.

"You know the fuckin' answer already," Cid replied mildly, his fingers tracing small, soothing circles around her stomach. "Besides, we need to eat some real fuckin' food before you start shrinkin'," he added, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on her cheek.

Yuffie had stiffened at his answer, not wanting to face whatever would be waiting for them in the reaches of Fort Condor; his untroubled reply had scared her more than she wanted to admit. _Didn't… didn't he feel something too, these past few days?_ she thought with a twinge of insecurity. His warm breath in her ear and gentle kiss had eased her confusion somewhat, but a frown still graced her face as she kicked the chocobo into a slow trot. "Cid," she said after a short silence. "Why aren't you more worried about getting back?"

Cid snorted, leaning his chin on her head and pulling her close. "Of course I'm fuckin' worried. I left my baby on the fields out there," he added.

"The Highwind? You're worried about the Highwind?" Yuffie gaped, half turning to stare at him and trying to decide whether to sock him for being an insensitive jerk or not.

"Sure," Cid answered, though he couldn't hide the grin that was playing on his lips. Yuffie stayed her hand when she saw that he was purposely trying to tease her, though she kept the promise of violence alive and well in her eyes. "Damn, and here I was hopin' that you'd spank me," he finally said, relenting under her furious stare.

"Are you really not worried at all?" Yuffie asked again, redirecting her attention to the path they were travelling.

"Naw, I was only half-jokin' about that," Cid replied seriously. "I left the ship out in the open like that, and then we just disappeared. I figure we better show up before someone calls us for dead and we really make the evenin' news," he grumbled.

"Oh, shit!" Yuffie gasped, her mouth dropping into a small o as his words sunk in.

"Don't fuckin' swear like that!" Cid yelled at her, giving her stomach a sharp pinch. He wheezed in amused consternation as she planted an elbow into his ribs in reply, giving him an incredulous look. Then he dropped his face into her hair and kissed her head softly. "It don't sound right comin' outta the mouth of a sweet little lady like you," he murmured. "Least not like that," he breathed into her ear, tracing the shell of her lobe with his tongue.

"Ahh…" she sighed, her eyes drifting shut halfway before they snapped open and she leaned forward sharply. She heard him chuckle and winced at how easily he was able to scatter her concentration, and moreover that he obviously knew it. "Hey, no distractions! This is important! You think we'll be in trouble?"

Cid sighed and nodded against her head. "Yeah, we'll be knee deep in shit if we don't get back soon," he grumbled in annoyance.

"Maybe we can just tell them more of those freaky white-haired Sephiroth clones showed up and we beat 'em off," Yuffie suggested helpfully. She sagged as Cid snorted against her and sighed heavily. "Alright, so that's not such a good idea. But… well… maybe we should just tell them the truth," she said thoughtfully.

"That you an' me…" Cid trailed off, and Yuffie felt herself blush hotly.

"No no no!" she yelled quickly. "I mean… uh, well. You know, that we went hang gliding, and then you crashed…"

"You made me crash!" Cid corrected loudly. His pride would only bend so far, and he drew an absolute line at the questioning of his aviation abilities.

"… that I MADE you crash," Yuffie repeated dryly, not feeling prickly enough to be sidetracked from their conversation. "And then you got hurt, and we had to wait for you to get healed…" she continued with increasing hopefulness.

"For two whole fuckin' days? No one's gonna believe that story when you're packin' that much magic, Yu," he grunted.

"Ohhh! Well… we'll just say the chocobo ran off!" Yuffie replied, giving the bird another light kick. "Who's he gonna tell?" she giggled as the bird squawked in annoyance.

"Yeah… I guess it'll work," Cid answered, though he sounded somewhat unsatisfied.

"Don't you think it's a great plan?" Yuffie asked him bossily, a spark of her usual confidence surfacing.

"Naw… it's just the other fuckin' problem that's bothering me," he replied morosely.

"… and that would be?" Yuffie asked, twisting around to look at him. She nearly lost her grip on the reins when he hungrily kissed her, almost knocking them both out of the saddle with his possessive desire. "Oh," she replied, her face flushed and panting slightly when he finally pulled away. "That problem."

_**AN:** Whew, this chapter got a little long, I'll probably be tweaking the mistakes in it for days! There's no alternate version of it this time, I'll give you all ample warning whenever I censor a chapter in the future. Hope you enjoyed the little 'fight' scene, writing those things are pretty hard for me. In case anyone is waiting for some big world-shaking quest-like event to occur, I should probably warn you that it's not going to happen. The idea for this story started mainly as a character study, mostly from asking myself the question 'what's Cid like, anyway?' The evolution of the plot is mostly devoted to answering that and exploring his budding relationship with Yuffie. So… yeah, no intense battles other than those emotional ones, no return of Sephiroth clones, no meteors dropping from the sky… this is a fairly domestic fic, I guess. Hope you guys enjoy it, and please, please, leave a review if you read. I'm hoping that at some point this fic will hit 100 reviews and put all that underground Cid/Yuffie fandom onto the fanfiction map somewhere. (-:_


	10. Surprise, Surprise

**_AN:_**_ Oh my gosh, this got so long. I actually wrote more, but I split it off because I couldn't see the end of this chapter anywhere in sight! Anyway, again there is a little lemon version of this particular chapter on MediaMiner. I would say it's less important than the lemon in chapter 7, but more important than the lemon in chapter 8. So use your discretion. And please leave a review! _

**_www . mediaminer . org / fanfic / view UNDERSCORE ch . php / 128146 / 440508 / _**

**Chapter 10: Surprise, Surprise **

It was only late afternoon by the time they arrived in the familiar-looking stretch of forest that bordered the vast plains near Fort Condor; Yuffie had kept them going at a quick pace even though her heart sunk with every step closer to their destination. She slowed the chocobo to a stop as they reached the tree line of the forest and surveyed the grasslands that seemed to stretch out impossibly far to the horizon. Not far enough to hide the distinctive silhouette of the Highwind in the distance, though. She knew Cid was looking at it too, from the way his grip shifted on her waist.

"If you squint, you can almost see the fort from here," she said softly.

"Let's take a break," Cid grunted, sliding off of the chocobo and stretching out. He sounded calm, but that he hadn't even bothered to attach his customary adjoining oath to the statement was telling.

Yuffie quickly dismounted and tethered the bird, then approached Cid's side and leaned into him without preamble. She heard him chuckle in surprise, but his arms still circled her without hesitation.

"Somethin' up, babe?" Cid asked, caressing her back.

Yuffie closed her eyes and dug her face into Cid's chest, inhaling deeply and trying to capture his scent in her memory. "If we're gonna have to stop touching so much in public, then I just wanna enjoy every last second while we still can." She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his jaw, then pulled away with an exaggerated wince. "Though I guess it'll be good for you to shave again," she laughed, scratching at the lengthening stubble on his chin. It was starting to look more like a thin beard than a five-o'clock shadow. "It's kind of itchy kissing you right now," she said with a light smile.

Cid didn't laugh with her, and her grin flickered away. He searched her face and then muttered a soft, almost-tender oath. Seeing her smile for him was what made the thought of returning to the real world bearable and yet oh-so-difficult all at the same time. "Sometimes I think you'd be smilin' even if the world was breakin' apart," he muttered, shedding his gloves so he could feel the touch of her silken hair.

Her grin returned quickly and she let out a short, exuberant laugh. "Of course I'd be smiling!" she answered, digging her fingers into his sides for a tiny tickle. "Been there, done that, remember?" she added with a smirk. "You just weren't looking then!"

"I'm lookin' now," Cid answered as he lowered his head towards hers, giving her a deep kiss.

He felt Yuffie arcing her body against him as he tasted her; he wondered if they would be able to kiss again once they left the forest. Yuffie seemed to be worried that they wouldn't even be able to hold hands outside of the small bubble they had built for themselves in the wilderness. His chest constricted sharply as he realized that she was probably right. Alarm bells fired in his head as Yuffie slowly released him and began to draw away. _Shit!_ he thought in panic. _I can't let it end like this!_

Cid's grip around her tightened and he pushed her back against himself, his kiss becoming urgent and demanding. The idea that he might not be able to hold her again, to taste her or have her was curling through him with an almost physical pain. It drove his movements with a hard edge of desperation; without waiting for her reaction he dragged her away from the open skies of the plains and back into the dark forest.

Yuffie managed to break away from his suddenly bruising kiss briefly, staring at Cid in surprise as she gasped. "Cid, what're you doi—"

He silenced her with another hungry, torrid kiss, sweeping her mouth with his tongue. He paused only long enough to ground out an anguished answer against her mouth. "I don't fuckin' know!" Then his mouth was covering hers amidst a shower of green leaves as he slammed her forcefully against a tree trunk; he plied her lips open with greedy kisses and groped her with insatiable hands.

"… I ain't gonna make it if I can't have you," he groaned into her mouth

"We'll manage," Yuffie sighed with more conviction than she felt. "I love your hair," she breathed, running her fingers through it distractedly. "So wild and beautiful… it suits you," she murmured.

"Beautiful?" he asked her with a half-smirk. "I ain't no fuckin' girl, Yuffie."

"I think I realized that by now," she joked when they finally pulled apart. Her smile softened as she cupped his face in her hand and gave him a searching look. "But no matter what you say, you'll always be beautiful to me, Cid Highwind." She dropped her face, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his chin with a sigh.

Cid let her words sink in, closing his eyes and listening to the whistling of the wind through the trees and the thrum of their bodies as they held each other. "Yeah," he exhaled after a moment, drawing back and lifting her chin up. "We'll find a way," he agreed.

"Are you ready?" she asked him when they finally pulled apart.

"No," he answered curtly, his expression darkening.

"Well, neither am I but we can't always get what we want, right?" Yuffie answered, dragging him back towards their chocobo.

"I just had what I fuckin' want," Cid shot back, his face still surly.

"Umm," Yuffie fidgeted with a slight blush, focusing her concentration on mounting the chocobo. "Well, that's a good face for you to wear on the way back in. Everyone'll just think you're sore 'cause you had to spend some time with me instead of your cigarettes!"

Cid collected his spear and climbed onto the chocobo behind her, his arm settling heavily across her waist and tightly gripping her hip with his hand. "I hate when you fuckin' talk about yourself like that," he growled crassly. "And maybe I don't like people thinkin' I'm that much of a bastard," he added as an afterthought.

Yuffie sighed as she steered the bird out onto the fields in a slow trot. "C'mon, Cid, you never had a problem with my jokes or the way people talked about you before. Just try to remember what it was like three days ago."

Cid leaned against her and shook his head. "I was in hell three days ago, Yu," he answered. "That musta been the worst fuckin' night of my life," he ground out. "You helped me forget that," he added, his voice softening slightly as he placed a kiss against the back of her ear.

"Hmm," Yuffie said lightly. She was unsure of whether or not to take his statement as a compliment; it made her feel too much like a comforting pillow rather than a human being. She shook the feeling away, trying to remember that they hadn't promised each other anything despite their confessions. "Focus on the good things," she mumbled to herself.

"What was that?" Cid asked, snapping her attention back to his side.

"Oh… uh, I was just wondering who I'd ask for some advice about our situation if I had the chance," she covered. "Who'd you go to if you needed some good advice?"

"Right this minute? Shit… probably you," Cid answered, grinning at her.

"That defeats the purpose of asking for advice about us, doesn't it?" Yuffie replied, winking at him. "I'm kinda biased!"

"Well, fuck. I dunno," Cid mumbled, his brow furrowing in thought. "Definitely not that little shit Spike," he growled with a note of hostility.

"That's a given," Yuffie seconded, her face dropping into a mirroring scowl. "Maybe Tifa, though. She'd understand, she might even help us out!"

"Tifa? Hell no," Cid answered quickly. "She'd pour her bleedin' heart out all over Shera, probably ask us all to sit down together an' _talk._" He spat out the last word as though it was poisonous.

"What's so bad about talking things out?" Yuffie asked with a slightly indignant huff.

"Shera don't _talk,_" Cid said abruptly, his tone clearly warning her to drop her line of questioning.

"Fine," Yuffie replied sarcastically. She bit the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath; it was bad enough they were approaching the fort as it was. To end their time together with an argument was something she didn't want to do. "Well," she added lightly. "Not Tifa then. How about Nanaki? He's pretty smart, isn't he?"

"Red ain't even human, Yuffie!" Cid protested immediately.

"Well… Bugenhagen is, and he's definitely smart!" Yuffie countered with a smile. It was a pretty weak argument, mostly because she thought she'd die of mortification if she had to have a heart-to-heart with the strange old man about her relationship woes. It was fun to rile Cid though, she thought to herself with an evil smirk.

"Bugenhagen, eh? That guy's so old he probably doesn't remember even havin' a sex life," Cid laughed. "No fuckin' way."

"Alright, true. Reeve, then! He's not that old, and he's close by!"

Cid snorted loudly. "You're shittin' me, that man would blackmail our asses faster than YOU would," he sniped. "An' don't even mention Barret," Cid added quickly when he saw Yuffie opening her mouth.

"Riiight," she agreed quickly. "Well, I guess that leaves Vincent."

They each paused to digest the idea of asking Vincent Valentine for advice on a romantic relationship, especially one that involved a love triangle.

"Naw!" came the quick reply in unison, and they both broke out into loud, raucous laughter. Yuffie recovered first, slowing the chocobo down to a walk as they passed by the parked airship. "Don'tcha wanna salute or something?" she yelled, prodding Cid in the ribs with her elbow.

"Hey baby, daddy's comin' home for you real soon," Cid replied, reaching out to tap the tip of his spear against the metal hull of the hulking airship.

"I thought I was your baby!" Yuffie complained with a pout.

"Babe, you might be a lot of things, but I only got one baby and her name is Highwind," Cid said smugly.

"Boys and their toys," Yuffie replied, rolling her eyes upward. Soon they were climbing quickly up the rocky path towards the settlement, propelled by an overeager chocobo lured by the memory of warm stables, curiel greens and a definite lack of mating humans. "Hey Cid," Yuffie said thoughtfully, half-twisting in the saddle to look at him. "You better stop calling me babe for now," she mentioned under her breath as they approached the entrance.

Cid's arm curled around Yuffie's waist as he leaned forward, and a smile stole across his lips. He spoke lowly into her ear, knowing full well how sensitive she was to his breath. "I'll call you whatever the fuck I wa—"

"Yuffie? Cid? Oh thank goodness! GUYS! Vincent was right, it is them!"

Yuffie and Cid froze as the sound of Tifa's loud shout carried up through the high cavern inside the fort.

"A-a-a-aaaah," Yuffie squeaked, her face turning white and her knuckles gripping the reins tightly. "T-t-tifa!" she whispered fiercely to Cid. Sure, she had been expecting things to be uncomfortable in public, but… "Tifa? And Vincent?" she repeated out loud, her voice shrinking.

"What the fuck are they doing here?" Cid ground out, stiffly removing his arm and placing it much more carefully at her side. He cursed again as Tifa came running out of the door to greet them, followed quickly by Reeve. There was a flash of red and a thump, and Vincent landed solidly on the ground from wherever he had been perched above them.

"Hey guys!" Yuffie yelled out, recovering more quickly than Cid and putting on her best grinning mask. Sometimes he envied Yuffie's ability to hide her feelings behind an obnoxious smile; he on the other hand carefully remained silent and studied their companions, not trusting himself to spit unnecessary obscenities in his other friends' direction.

"Yuffie! Cid! We've been worried sick about you!" Reeve said as he reached them, grabbing the reins out of Yuffie's hands. "Where have you two been?"

Yuffie noticed Cid's silence and elbowed him surreptitiously before making a big show of jumping off of the chocobo. "Only forcing Cid to have the most awesome vacation of his life ev-er!" she sang, spinning around and striking a victory pose before grabbing the dark-haired man in a bear hug.

Cid felt his hands twitching with the urge to punch something when he saw Reeve holding Yuffie, but quickly settled for dismounting when the other man sought out his eyes with a sympathetic expression.

"Oh. I bet Yuffie was having another one of her _Ideas._ In that case, you have my condolences, Cid." He then let out a loud, cheerful yelp as Yuffie released him and swatted at his head.

"It was a good idea! My ideas are ALWAYS good!" she replied sulkily while Tifa approached her. "But what are you guys all doing here?"

"We came as soon as we heard the news," Tifa said worriedly, returning Yuffie's hug tightly. "There were reports that you and Cid had gone missing! Vincent said you guys were probably just taking a vacation, but everyone knows Cid would never abandon the Highwind for so long, and then that rented chocobo came back without a rider…"

"I fuckin' knew it," Cid swore as he shook Reeve's hand. The other man paled slightly and quickly extracted his palm from the pilot's iron grip.

"Oww, you don't have to take out your frustrations on me, you know! Go shake Vincent's hand, he's got a claw!" Reeve protested loudly.

Cid turned to the man in question and scowled at him. _Claw or not, that asshole better not try an' hug Yuffie too,_ he was thinking to himself. Vincent only gave him an obscure look, his face as always hidden by the folds of the heavy red cloak he constantly wore. "Cid," he greeted quietly with the barest of nods.

"Well, that's great that you guys came just for little old us!" Yuffie cheered as she stepped towards Vincent. She caught Cid's head snapping towards her from the edge of her vision and quickly halted her advance, settling for waving a wild greeting at the pale man from a safe distance. "But where's everybody else?" she added, noticing that certain members of their old cadre were prominently missing.

"It was hard to get everybody here on such short notice," Tifa replied with a tiny grin. "We usually rely on Cid to pick everyone up in the airship when there's a big emergency, after all. Oh!" she said, bringing her palm to her cheek as she reached for her cell phone. "I better call Nanaki and Barret and tell them you're both okay!" She strode off a short distance away, one finger in her ear and already chatting animatedly into her phone.

"I swear, you guys worry too much!" Yuffie said loudly. "Still, this is totally cool, isn't it? It's almost like having a five-year reunion!"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't call it that," a soft voice said calmly. Yuffie felt her back stiffen as the smile melted from her face. Vaguely, she was aware that Cid had approached her side, but the blood was pounding too loudly in her ears to hear what anyone else was saying. She turned very slowly, not really wanting to see who she knew was there. And he _was_ there, looking as youthful and beautiful as ever, leaning against the entrance to the cave. Mako blue eyes partially covered by spiked blond hair and a solemn face that could almost rival Vincent's with its lack of expression. Except for those few, rare moments when the hint of a smile would twist at the corner of his lips and the severity of his gaze would soften slightly; it would look like a smirk to anyone who didn't know him, but on his face it was the equivalent of the sun breaking through the clouds on a rainy day. That fleeting smile was there now as he looked down at them, and his eyes were centred on her. Yuffie tried to remember how to breathe.

"Cloud," she whispered, hating how her voice wavered when she spoke his name.

"Though it's been less than five years for us, hasn't it Yuffie?" he added gently as he approached them. His gaze dropped from her and landed on Cid, and Yuffie felt sound and colour returning to her world. Too much colour, she realized as her cheeks began to flush darkly.

"Oh that's right, I remember hearing you mention that you were stalking poor Cloud a little while back," Reeve added helpfully, slapping Yuffie across the shoulders with an oblivious laugh. "At least you're harassing Cid now, I bet he can probably defend himself better!"

"SHUT UP, REEVE!" Yuffie screeched, her fist shooting up automatically as she decked the taller man in the nose, causing almost the entire group to stare at her in surprise. _Almost_ the entire group; Cid was too busy glaring at Cloud to care what Yuffie had done to the other man. Though from the groans of pain Reeve was making, he was guessing whatever it had been was a good thing.

"OWW!" Reeve yelled, holding his nose and bowling over comically as Yuffie put her hands over her mouth and gasped.

"Oh my gawd! Reeve, are you okay?" she squeaked, patting his back apologetically while he straightened up.

"Jesus, Yuffie!" Reeve yelled, though with his hands over his nose it sounded more like _bebus, Buffy!_ "What'd you do that for?"

Yuffie felt her face burning as everyone stared at her and fumbled for an answer. She had always been a quick thinker, especially under pressure; _too quick_ many had often pointed out in the past. With a sense of panic, she blurted out the first words that came to her mind. "It's not my fault Cid broke his arm!"

Everyone swung around to stare at Cid next.

"Aww, shit," he said intelligibly, feeling a sudden headache coming on and a desperate need for either a cigarette or a good fuck. The latter option, while being almost guaranteed to chase away his bad mood, wasn't helping very much in the present company. His concern for Yuffie, however, did spur him to come to a quick decision. She had turned almost as pale as Vincent when Cloud appeared, only strengthening his desire to put a few holes through the other blonde. Still, he had to marvel at the things he did for the women he cared about. _You better be fuckin' thankful for this, Yu,_ he thought angrily as he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Hang gliding," he mumbled.

"Huh?" Tifa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She took me hang gliding and I fuckin' crashed the damn thing, alright?" Cid snarled, gripping the spear that was still in his hand tightly and not-so-subtly angling it in Reeve's direction, daring the other man to make a joke. Reeve wisely kept silent for about all of two seconds.

"You know, for a pilot, you have a pretty bad track record of landing—"

"Do you wanna eat another knuckle sandwich?" Yuffie cut in this time, holding her fist up under the taller man's nose.

"From you, definitely not," Reeve replied, immediately holding his hands up. "Never cross a woman who thinks a good first date involves breaking a few limbs!" he said with a grin.

"It wasn't a date!" Yuffie and Cid yelled almost in unison, though Cid added his usual descriptive adjective to the exclamation. This time everyone was looking at them oddly. Yuffie groaned and dropped her head into her hands, and Cid rolled his eyes and strode towards the entrance of the fort. "I need a fuckin' smoke," he ground out bitterly, shouldering his way past Cloud.

"He seems upset," Cloud murmured thoughtfully as he watched the other man enter the building. Another set of eyes were also watching Cid, and stopped him with an almost inaudible observation at the entrance to the cave.

"That's a very interesting weapon you're carrying," Vincent said monotonously, though his sharp red eyes were trained on Cid's face.

"Fuck off unless you wanna see it in action," Cid replied, stomping past the other man sourly.

**.x.x.x. **

After Cid's abrupt departure, Yuffie threw herself into acting as obnoxiously as possible; in part because it was expected of her, partly because she knew it would drive Reeve to tease her instead of Cid and also that it would keep Tifa from searching for the pilot to find out what was bothering him. Most of all, however, she hoped it would keep Cloud from spending too much time alone with her. He still brought up a mixed bag of feelings inside of herself; most predominantly, however, was one of hurt. She didn't think she loved him anymore, but she _had_, once. Telling herself that she was a mature adult who was completely over her infatuation was one thing, but trying to rise above the hurt and the painful slap to her self-esteem that his mere presence drew out was quite another.

What she really wanted more than anything else was to be alone so she could sort out her feelings; of course, that would have been a dead giveaway that something was off, and she knew that it would be most likely Cloud, their fearless leader, who would go chasing after her to pin down what was wrong. That was perhaps the worst part of the whole thing; it would have been much easier to hate him as simply as she had loved him. Cloud was an enigma, however; he cared about his friends too deeply to spark her hatred. And he did consider her a friend; a trusted one, at that. But she had never, ever managed to become anything more; shared smiles and traded banter only brought them so far. In the end, there was always the silent, impenetrable wall that hid Cloud's feelings; the only woman to have ever breached it was dead and gone, her memory serving to strengthen its foundation. When Yuffie had finally realized that, it had broken her heart and given her a healthy respect for Tifa's great inner strength. It was a strength she wasn't willing to find out if she possessed, which was part of the reason she had fled back to Wutai in the first place. Now, she was here, and so was he, and it seemed like her one-sided confrontation with him would be unavoidable.

_This vacation is definitely taking a nosedive for the worse,_ Yuffie thought irritably as she laughed loudly at another one of Reeve's tactless jokes. Evening found them gathered around the mess hall table, sharing a game of 5-stud poker. She glanced at her hand and reflected on what a terrible idea it was to play with the rest of the group; nobody in their right minds could beat Vincent's poker face, especially when he had his collar turned up. The reticent man had a small mountain of chips at his side, while everyone else was secretly hoping that either her or Reeve's ability to blatantly cheat would make the game a little more interesting. _Tough luck guys,_ she thought sourly as she glanced at her hand and folded quickly.

Yuffie tuned out the animated chatter around her as Reeve began to bet loudly and wondered what Cid was doing. A small sigh escaped her; she knew he was upset because Cloud was there. She had been half-afraid that he was going to snap at the other blonde when he was standing by her side; it had embarrassed her and she had thanked every Wutanese deity she knew of afterwards when he left, but in a strange way it had also given her a small measure of comfort. Seeing how dangerously protective he was of her had helped keep her already-bruised ego from being completely trampled under Cloud's oblivious feet. Still, she hadn't gotten the chance to thank him, and now it seemed like she never would. Not unless Vincent decided to end their misery by cleaning out the table once and for all, she noted depressively.

"Yuffie?" Tifa's voice gently interrupted her.

"Huh? Oh!" she blushed, looking down at the two cards before her. She gave them a cursory glance and shrugged absently. "Fold," she sighed, pushing the cards across the table. "This sucks!" she added as an afterthought.

"Agreed," Reeve said immediately, zeroing in on Vincent. "That man should be outlawed from the poker table!"

"How do you know I'm not?" Vincent deadpanned, meeting Reeve's gaze levelly.

"There! You see? He practically admitted to cheating!" Reeve yelled, waving his hands over his head. "That's worse than when Yuffie stacks the cards with her luck materia!"

That should have been Yuffie's cue to come up with a smart reply, but she didn't hear the jab; she was still thinking about Cid, her chin planted in her palm and her eyes vacant and unfocused.

"Uh, Yuffie?" Reeve tried to rouse her attention again without success. The little ninja didn't even notice when everyone began to stare at her. Finally, Vincent cleared his throat.

"It's a pity Cid isn't here, then my winnings would that much larger," he mentioned quietly.

Yuffie blinked at the sound of the pilot's name and snapped her head up. "Huh? What, is it my turn again?" she asked, looking around the table curiously.

Tifa sat back with a dumbfounded expression, and Reeve's jaw dropped open and then snapped shut. Vincent sat back looking smug, and worst of all, Cloud now had her pinned under his piercing gaze.

"What'd I say?" she asked with a sinking feeling.

"Cut the crap, Yuffie," Cloud said, his harsh words contrasting with the calm, smooth tone that he delivered them in. "Cid's been avoiding us for the entire evening, and now you're acting strangely too. What really happened while you two were gone?"

Yuffie tried not to flush as she noticed how everyone leaned in slightly as they waited for her answer. _Gawd,_ she thought furiously. _With friends like these, who needs paparazzi?_ "I already told you guys!" she protested. "We bumped into each other by accident here while on vacation, and I tried to teach him how to hang glide!" She felt a small stab of guilt as she spoke; his crash really had been her fault. "I, um… well, I sorta forgot to tell him how to land, and he had a really bad crash." She grit her teeth and glared at Reeve when he leaned back and started laughing loudly at her admission.

"Remind me never to take a vacation with you!" he giggled, wiping some tears from his eyes.

"Don't worry, I can guar-an-tee you'll never be invited!" Yuffie shot back, sticking out her tongue at him. She froze as she heard Cloud interrupt their argument, his tone cold.

"Yuffie. How could you do something so careless? Cid could have been seriously hurt or even killed by your selective memory."

_Self-esteem? Yep, there it goes,_ she noted sourly as she flushed shamefully under Cloud's angry glare. Tifa seemed to take pity on her and touched Cloud's shoulder gently.

"Don't be so hard on her," she said quietly. "I'm sure Yuffie only meant the best for Cid."

"Yeah!" Yuffie agreed, her head shooting up as she flashed Tifa a grateful smile. The smile dropped when Vincent spoke next.

"Of course, why someone like Cid would want or need a vacation with someone like Yuffie is another interesting question," he added, his red eyes boring into Yuffie mercilessly.

Once again everyone was staring at her, and Yuffie felt a flicker of anger begin to rise over her overwhelming embarrassment. _It's none of their business!_ she thought stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can't say," she mumbled angrily.

"You don't have to, Yuffie," Tifa said immediately, shooting a glare at the other men at the table that was largely ignored.

"Oh, I think she does!" Reeve piped in, another smile lighting his face. "I bet the answer could make headlines at the _Midgar Enquirer._ Maybe I could even sell the rights to the story and make up for some of my losses at the table!" he joked gleefully. The smile slid off of his face at approximately the same time the well-aimed poker chip hit him between the eyes.

"He wouldn't want me to tell you," Yuffie said hotly. "I don't want to tell you. So just lay off, will ya?" she growled.

"He's having problems with Shera. That's why he's here." Once again, Vincent broke the tense silence with another all-too-accurate observation. Yuffie really wanted to hit him with a chip in that moment, but figured that his massive cloak would probably block any of the missiles she could send flying his way before they'd make contact.

"With Shera?" Tifa said disbelievingly, her eyes widening with concern. "But they've been together for nine years! Oh, Yuffie, did he tell you what's wrong?"

_More like showed me firsthand,_ she thought with a small smirk, only shaking her head apologetically at Tifa in response.

"Well, you know how much Cid smokes," Reeve began, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms behind his head. "I hear it can cause impotence in older men. Maybe he can't…"

That was the last straw. Yuffie stood up and slammed her hands on the table with enough force to knock over the stacks of chips on it. Wheedling her was one thing, but picking on Cid when he wasn't even in the room was another. "You don't want to finish that sentence," she hissed in warning as she glared daggers at Reeve, who shrunk diminutively under her seething wrath. She whipped around and pointed her finger at Vincent. "And you! You're usually real good at keeping your big mouth shut, so what happened today? Maybe you need to practice a little more!" she spat. He blinked in response.

"Look, Yuffie, we're only trying to help—" Tifa cut in sternly, standing up to meet Yuffie's eyes.

"Trying to help? Yeah, right!" Yuffie yelled, throwing up her hands as she stepped away from the table. "This is why I didn't want to say anything. Look at you guys! How do you think Cid would feel if he knew you were talking about his love life behind his back?"

"We're his friends!" Tifa countered immediately, her mouth pulling into a hard line.

"That doesn't give you the automatic right to know!" Yuffie fired back. "Maybe he doesn't need our helping hands! Maybe he just wants to be left alone so he can deal with it himself! You ever think of that?"

"You're hardly one to talk when it comes to keeping your nose out of other peoples' business," Reeve interrupted mildly, steepling his hands under his chin. "Or maybe you're upset because Cid didn't appreciate the Kisaragi version of tough love? Tell me, did you come up with another one of your 100-percent-guaranteed-to-work foolproof therapy plans? Something as brilliant as the idea that stuffing enough materia into Wutai would make it any less of a tourist trap?"

Yuffie sucked in her breath, anger flowing through her so white-hot that the materia in her armlet began to sparkle dangerously without her even realizing it. In a surprising display of backbone, Reeve didn't back down, meeting her glare with one of his own. She managed to bite back the scathing reply that would have blown what little privacy was left to Cid and herself, but still she couldn't stop herself from responding to Reeve's provocation. He knew better than to bring up Wutai, or so she had once thought. _How dare he,_ she thought, trembling with fury. _How dare he!_ "You don't know _anything,_" she said slowly, meeting his unblinking stare.

The thick tension in the room broke with Cloud's ever-placid, gentle voice. "Yuffie, Reeve. That's enough." It was his leader tone, the one that brokered no argument lest the affected parties wanted to eat an omnislash for breakfast. It had its desired effect as Reeve sat back and Yuffie looked away, though she crossed her arms and remained standing. Cloud sighed and dropped his hand into his forehead, the one sure tell he gave when he was feeling uncomfortable. "Guys, Yuffie is right. If Cid wanted to talk to us about his problems with Shera, he'd approach us himself. Let's give him some space."

Yuffie uncrossed her arms and let out a loud huff. "Finally, the voice of reason," she said sarcastically. Then she felt her stomach flip-flop as Cloud turned his hard stare onto her; sometimes she thought he could see right through them all with his piercing blue eyes.

"That doesn't mean whatever you did to Cid these past few days was right, or even helpful. For his sake, I'll let this go for now. But I hope you're prepared to face the consequences if… no, when, whatever you planned blows up in your face. You're dealing with other peoples' personal lives now, Yuffie, not just their materia. You can't just fix or replace things if you end up ruining Cid's relationship with Shera. I wonder if you even understand that at all sometimes," he sighed.

Yuffie bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly, willing herself not to break down and cry in front of everyone. Especially not Reeve, since she was still mad at him. Cloud's words hit home more closely than he probably knew. _Why'd it have to come from him of all people?_ she thought miserably, focusing furiously on the wood grain of the table.

"Hey… Yuffie, you know we're just worried for you," Tifa said gently, her concern finally overriding the thick silence in the room. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Like you'd believe me if I said yes anyway!" she ground out, squeezing her eyes shut and bolting from the room in shame.


	11. Interference

**Chapter 11: Interference**

As the evening at Fort Condor wore on, Cid didn't see Yuffie again after leaving the others outside, much less have the chance to talk to her privately. It was more of a conscious choice than an accident, however; he was in a foul mood, and the rest of the group respectfully left him in peace when he finally retreated one of the back rooms with a pack of cigarettes and a handful of beer bottles. He guessed that most of his friends had assumed he was holing up because of his forced absence from smoking combined with the humiliating admission that he had crashed _something_ once again.

In reality, none of that was actually bothering Cid very much. He knew his crash had been the result of his attempt to chase Yuffie down, and as far as he was concerned, the broken arm had resulted in one of the best vacations of his life. Seeing Yuffie's reaction to his practice with the spear had also cooled his desire to smoke significantly; the craving was still there, but every time he drew out a cigarette and brought it to his lips, he would spit it out again a moment later and roll it aimlessly through his fingers. "Not my fuckin' brand anyway," he muttered to himself, staring at the pack angrily.

The real reason for Cid's sour mood was short, blonde and carried a sword almost as big as he was. He couldn't help the niggling feeling of insecurity that had washed across him like a cold slap when he saw Yuffie's extreme reaction to Cloud's presence. Fear, that much was obvious, and hurt. That alone would have put him in a bad mood. But underneath it all, he knew why she was still so affected by the other man's presence. To Cid, it has been as clear as daylight when Cloud had greeted her. _The little bastard had the balls to smile at her,_ he fumed, grinding his teeth together. He had smiled, and Yuffie had been captivated by Cloud's handsome face.

"_You'll always be beautiful to me, Cid Highwind."_

He winced and rubbed a hand over his eyes. At the time, he had rejoiced in her words; they had filled him with pride and longing, but moreover a strangely deep and satisfying contentment. Now they echoed in his head mockingly, like a patronizing insult.

Yuffie might have told him he was beautiful, but the entire world _knew_ Cloud was better. "How in the hell is a man supposed to compete with that?" he spat angrily, shoving the cigarette back into his mouth. _Fuck. Fuck it all. Fuck her,_ he thought, reaching for his lighter. _Let her have her pretty boy, see if I give a damn._ The flame flickered to life and he held over the end of the cigarette, watching the tip glow red. A moment later, he let out a soft curse and stubbed it out onto the table. _Fuck me._

The setting sun had cloaked room in long shadows; it would be almost too dark to see soon, but Cid didn't attempt to light the wick of the oil lamp next to him. Foul moods demanded dark rooms to fester in properly. He reached out blindly for the bottle of beer on the table and lifted it to his lips. Finding it empty, he swore quietly to himself and slammed it back down, groping for the last unopened bottle there. "Should've brought more damn beer," he grumbled to himself as he popped the cap off. He wasn't feeling nearly drunk enough to leave the room just yet.

The creak of an opening door made Cid sit up quickly, and his hand tightened around the glass. Everyone knew he was mad, and everyone with good judgement knew that when Cid was mad, you stayed far away from him. That could mean only someone with bad judgement had chosen to interrupt him, he thought with a slight smile. "'Bout fuckin' time, Yu—" The words died out and the smile dropped from his face as door clicked shut behind the intruder, who then leaned against it and stared at him.

"So are you going to let us know what's really going on, or are you just going to drink yourself into a stupor here?" Cloud said softly, staring at Cid. His eyes were the brightest light in the room, and Cid clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly as he struggled with the urge to plant it between them. Cid's better judgement won, barely, and he slouched back down into his chair sullenly.

"What the fuck do you want, Spike?" Cid ground out, taking another long draught from his beer.

"I want you to tell me what's going on between you and Yuffie," he answered, crossing his arms and propping a foot up against the door. His casual posture read very clearly: _you're not getting out of this room until you do._ "You could start with why you're not with Shera right now."

The bottle slipped from Cid's grasp and rolled onto the floor, beer spilling out of it messily. Cid's fingers felt numb; anger was still there, bitter and hard, but something else rose in his throat at Cloud's words. _She fuckin' told 'em,_ he thought with a feeling of intense disappointment and betrayal. It was surprisingly painful, and Cid quickly turned the overwhelming feelings into venom which he happily directed towards Cloud. "That ain't none of yer fuckin' business, boy," he said ominously, meeting Cloud's glare fearlessly.

Cloud was unperturbed by Cid's threatening tone; then again, it was hard to tell when or if things bothered the unreadable blonde at all. "You're right, your problems with Shera aren't any of my business. But if you make those problems part of Yuffie's life, then it becomes my business."

Cid's eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched. "She ain't—" He cut himself off before he could say _yours,_ and tried to control the rage sweeping through him by slamming his fist on the table instead of the blonde. The wood cracked loudly under the force of the blow, and Cloud's eyebrow lifted a millimetre upwards. "The brat can take care of herself," Cid grit out tightly.

"Physically, I'm sure," Cloud answered. "But you know as well as I do that Yuffie has about as much emotional maturity as Marlene." He pursed his lips thoughtfully as his enhanced eyesight clearly picked up the grimace that stole across Cid's face in the darkness. "Actually, considering that I've spent more time with her than you recently, I think I can judge her pretty well," he added nonchalantly, keeping a sharp eye on Cid's reaction. "She's just as immature as ever, isn't she? Yuffie can't concentrate on anything for too long, I don't think she's even able too. It's no wonder she travels the world so much on this permanent vacation of hers. Her sense of responsibility isn't only impaired, it's completely missing…" He trailed off as Cid jumped from his seat with surprising speed and reached for Cloud. He didn't even blink when the bigger man grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the door with enough force to make it rattle noisily on its hinges.

"You shut the hell up, asshole," Cid grit out, breathing heavily through his nose. "Don't you even fuckin' talk about her! You do so much as breathe another word and you're gonna lose some fuckin' teeth!"

"I see," Cloud said easily, giving Cid a knowing look.

Cid's fingers clenched and he seriously considered trying to beat some sort of expression onto the younger man's visage. "You ain't worth bruisin' my knuckles over," he finally spat out as he released Cloud and stepped away warily. The beer he had drunk made the room swim a bit, but not enough to dull the awareness of the trap he sensed Cloud was trying to lay for him. He opted for moving away from the short man and reseating himself in the chair. He pulled in a few deep breaths and tried to clear his head of the violent anger that had welled up inside when Cloud had disparaged Yuffie. "What the hell do you want?" he finally asked, angrily kicking the overturned bottle of beer out of his way.

"I already told you, I came to find out what's going on between you and Yuffie. I think I have a pretty good idea now, though."

Cid tensed under Cloud's piercing stare. "The hell are you talkin' about?" he asked, trying to sound disinterested.

"Does she know?" Cloud replied, leaning against the door.

Cid looked at him, confusion momentarily replacing some of his anger and uneasiness. "Does she know what?" he asked suspiciously.

"Does she know that you love her," Cloud answered.

Cid looked at his hands, his mind going blank. _Love._ The worst four letter word of them all; it was the source of all of their problems and the one he scrupulously tried to avoid even thinking about when he and Yuffie were together. All of her carefully worded inquiries about his relationship with Shera had been that all along, he realized slowly. _Do you love me? _she had been really asking. _Do I?_ he wondered. He cared for Yuffie deeply, there was no question of that. She was more than just a friend, more than a temporary distraction from his painful relationship with Shera. But love? It hadn't hurt enough for him to consider if it was really love, at least not until that moment. With Cloud standing before him, unyielding and direct, it changed everything. _Hurts like a bitch right now,_ Cid thought with resignation. "Doesn't matter," he answered sourly. "She loves you."

That finally broke Cloud's unflappable stare; his eyes closed briefly and a mirthless smile played across his face. "I know."

A tense silence settled in the room as Cid stared at Cloud in shock, too surprised to formulate a coherent reply. "The hell?" he finally managed. Riding on the coattails of shock came the slowly mounting anger. "You knew and you never said a fuckin' thing, not even when she was tailin' you and draggin' her bleedin' heart behind her?" The urge to rearrange Cloud's face was rapidly resurfacing.

"Yes, I knew," Cloud answered, returning Cid's glare unapologetically. "Yuffie can be… very easy to read, if you understand her," he said simply. "She didn't tell us about Shera, by the way. She was actually quite upset when we figured it out on our own. That's why I'm certain now."

_So she didn't tell 'em after all._ Cid slumped back in his chair, the force of the relief he felt temporarily waylaying his anger. He considered the small man at the door with a wary glare. "Certain of what?" he repeated carefully. Though his desire to reach out and hurt Cloud still ran strong, a grudging curiosity was edging out the worst of his murderous impulses.

Cloud looked at him strangely, and then shook his head with a slow sigh. "Certain that she loves you too, of course. You must have had an interesting couple of days together. Actually, I don't see how you can't tell by now."

Cid leaned back in the chair and turned head to the ceiling. _Well shit,_ he thought without any real surprise. It was simpler to grasp, now that someone else said it out loud. It still filled him with a sense of wonderment and surprise, though; _she loves me,_ he thought, strange pressure mounting inside of himself. Impatient energy filled him, and he had to resist the urge to jump out of his seat and barrel past Cloud and through the door. He contented himself with standing up and pacing around the room nervously. After a few moments Cloud interrupted him again.

"Make sure you don't hurt her." He was looking at Cid again, this time with clear message of warning.

Cid paused and stared at Cloud incredulously. "I think you got that fuckin' department covered," he replied cuttingly. Though he couldn't say he was unhappy with Cloud's attitude considering the chances they had opened for him, he still felt a need to grill the other man if only for Yuffie's sake. "Why are you such an asshole to her anyway? She ain't that bad," he said gruffly.

Cloud finally looked away from him, staring into the floor with unfocused intensity. "I knew how she felt from the beginning," he admitted. "I trust her and consider her a valuable friend."

"Helluva way you've got of showin' it," Cid sniped, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.

"That's exactly why I do it," Cloud said softly, letting his eyes close. "I don't love her, Cid, I never did and I never could. That's something that someone like Yuffie wouldn't be able to understand if I treated her otherwise."

Cid fell silent; it was true. He had thought it was self-evident that someone as young she shouldn't fall in love with someone as old as himself. Yuffie often did have difficulties grasping the obvious, though; he suddenly felt overwhelmingly grateful for her short-sightedness.

"If I had given her any reason at all to stay with me she would have. But I do care enough about her to want to protect her," Cloud continued. "From myself…" His eyes drifted upwards and focused on Cid again. "… and from you."

Cid's shoulders tensed and he stared Cloud down. "Don't fuckin' interfere," he warned the other man quietly.

"Don't make me have to," Cloud answered curtly. An uneasy silence enveloped the room as the two men gauged each others' intentions. Finally, Cloud broke it off first. "Fine. It's your life, you can deal with it. I'll let you decide if you want to tell the others about it." He stepped away from the door and reached for the handle. "Just remember, Cid," he said, pausing. "You can't have them both."

The door shut behind him, and Cid cursed into the empty room. "Fuckin' bastard," he said, leaning on the table heavily. He still wanted to perforate the scrawny little runt a few times with his lance. The aching jealousy had abated slightly, however; in its place was something that was beginning to feel suspiciously like gratitude. "Huh," Cid snorted, a wry grin crossing his face. "That'll be the fuckin' day," he grumbled. Abruptly, he shoved away from the table and move towards the door with a quick step. "I got better things to think about than Spike right now," he muttered to himself with a grin.

**.x.x.x.**

Yuffie buried her face into her arms, listening absently to the soft pull of the ocean surf. _I was here just three days ago. How did things end up changing so quickly?_ A soft thump alerted her to the presence of another person on the roof and she tensed, glancing over her shoulder. Seeing that it wasn't Cloud she relaxed slightly, but still remained wary of her newfound company. "Most people use the door, you know," she muttered.

"I am not most people," Vincent replied, stepping up to the wall beside her. The wind blew, whipping strands of his long hair and trailing cloak out over the battlement, and he gave her an even look. "You are not cold?" he asked, noting that she was still in her shorts and sleeveless top.

"Since when did you become mister sensitive?" Yuffie answered shortly. She was ashamed at her sudden outburst at the poker table earlier, but still mostly upset with Reeve for poking at old wounds, and Vincent for having brought up the topic at all.

Vincent shrugged slightly. "Perhaps I deserved that," he replied quietly. He glanced at her briefly, then crossed his arms and joined her observation of the dark ocean. "We were simply… concerned," he said to her.

"No, everything was fine until you spilled the beans, you big jerk!" Yuffie blurted out suddenly, turning to glare at the taller man. "Gawd, Vincent, why'd you have to force it out like that in front of everyone?" she yelled, glaring at him angrily.

Vincent stiffened slightly, meeting her gaze. "I observed your behaviour as you rode in. Neither you nor he is particularly subtle," he mentioned. "However, if secrecy is your sole concern, I do not believe the others are fully aware of the situation yet."

"Hah, you mean you haven't told them? Must be losing your touch," Yuffie said sarcastically. Still, she couldn't deny the tiny flip-flops of relief that her stomach made at his words.

"It is not my place to reveal that information to them," he replied steadily. Vincent paused and stared at her with his glowing, mako-enhanced eyes and part of her indignation faded into nervousness; he really did look like a vampire sometimes, minus the fangs. "It is also not my place to mention this… but perhaps you could be a little more trusting. We are not simply your team-mates, Yuffie, we are also your friends."

"You guys wouldn't understand," Yuffie replied quickly, slumping back onto her arms and staring into the blackness with a loud sigh. "I mean, just look at what Cloud said."

"Cloud," Vincent said with a dry chuckle, "has his own motivations."

Yuffie pushed her bangs out of her face and snorted indelicately. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Simply that he cares for you, despite what you think." He turned slightly and regarded her impassively. "As we all do." The sound of the trapdoor being pushed open broke into their conversation, and Yuffie and Vincent turned to see Cid emerge from the stairs. He saw them standing together and his mouth pulled down into a fierce frown. "Some more than others," Vincent noted dryly. He turned back to Yuffie and gave her a searching look. "Is this truly what you want?"

Yuffie looked at Cid, who was still standing there motionless, watching them. She bit her lip and nodded quickly. "Yeah," she said faintly.

"Then try to have a little faith in your friends," he replied, moving away from her. "We will understand." Turning away from her, he jumped smoothly onto the wall and lowered himself to a crouch. "There is one other thing you should know," he added.

Yuffie looked up at the pale man curiously. "What's that?"

Though his cloak was pulled up, she almost swore that she could see the barest hint of a smile on Vincent's face. "When you were riding in. He looked… happy." He nodded briefly in Cid's direction, and then with a swirl of red he was gone.

There was a deep silence on the roof after he left; Cid hadn't moved from the trapdoor, and Yuffie remained standing by the wall.

"Funny, I don't see you jumping to catch him by his pants when he does that," Yuffie said finally, turning a light smile onto Cid.

His arms uncrossed and he glared at her. "What were you two doin' up here together?" he said sharply.

Yuffie sighed and draped herself against the wall lazily, rolling her eyes at him. "Talking about you, actually. He knows about us, Cid. He saw us coming in."

"Huh," Cid grunted, still not entirely convinced, but he relaxed enough to approach her. When he finally reached her side, he stood over her and stared at her, marvelling at how tiny and pale she looked, a fleck of white ready to be swallowed by the dark night. A surge of need, jealousy and irrational panic washed through him, he grabbed her waist and pushed her against the wall. His lips sought out her lips and he kissed her roughly, as though trying to confirm to himself that their past few days together hadn't been a dream. She melted easily under his grasp, running her fingers through his hair to drag his head closer and deepen the kiss. That simple touch alone was more than enough to dissolve the tight fear that had gripped him, and he relaxed into the kiss, revelling in the feel of her. They finally broke apart panting for air, and Cid gave her a lazy grin. "I've been dyin' to do that since we got here, babe."

"You're such a jealous guy," Yuffie replied, though her eyes were shining with a delight that completely belayed the severity of her tone.

"Well, I know how you get around older men," Cid replied, pressing himself closer to her.

"Only with blondes," Yuffie replied with a smile without thinking. Then she bit her lip as Cid's face pulled into scowl. "Ah… I didn't mean…"

Cid silenced her with a deep, searching kiss, moulding his body against hers. There was obviously the undercurrent of tense desire that she felt whenever they were pressed together, but it was as if there was something more driving him to hold her in his arms. She felt a spark of fear flutter in her chest as Cloud's stern warning echoed in her ears; Cid had always been so careful to assure her that he didn't want to hurt her. Now she wondered if it was she who might end up hurting him.

Cid pulled away from her and gave her a searching look. "What's wrong, babe?" he asked carefully.

"… aren't you worried someone will see us like this?" Yuffie said, drawing away from him. She gasped as Cid caught her arm and pulled her back.

"I don't give a shit," Cid replied, circling his arms possessively around her. "'Sides, you hugged everyone else today. I'm feelin' a little left out here," he grumbled, dipping his head against hers and nipping at the corner of her jaw.

"Well I haven't seen some of them in a really long time!" she replied. "Besides, I did a lot more than hug you, didn't I?" she muttered with a smirk. He chose to ignore her in favour of planting gentle, distracting kisses along the length of her neck. He continued over her jaw, stopping when their lips met to probe her with an eager tongue. The kiss was heady and his body a warm contrast to the cold night air. When he finally pulled away, she was flushed and slightly out of breath. "That was nice," she sighed as she buried her face in his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I love you," he said.

Yuffie's eyes snapped opened quickly. _What?_ Carefully she extracted a hand from between them and raised it to her ear, twisting a finger in it. Cid laughed and grabbed her, pulling her hand away gently and replacing it with his lips.

"You heard me right the first time," he murmured, the whisper changing into a gentle nibble as he pulled her close.

_He loves me?_ she thought dazedly, for once his lips not managing to distract her from her wandering thoughts. _I know it wasn't just… for fun, but…_ Again, she thought of Cloud's warning, and the memory of one of her earlier encounters with Shera came back with full force; she had worn a gentle face half smile as she stood patiently behind a very angry Cid, tea-tray in hand. _"If you're friends of Captain Highwind, then of course I trust you," _she had told them. Yuffie suddenly felt as manipulative and dirty as she had when she had stolen the group's materia so long ago. _Stupid Cloud,_ she thought viciously, though no amount of silent cursing could really shift the blame for it all from anyone but herself. The only thing Cloud had really done wrong was to kick her conscience out of its state of dreamy ignorance. Cid's arms tightened slightly around her, and Yuffie felt his heart pounding in his chest. She realized he was waiting for her answer.

"But… what about Shera?" she asked timidly. "You said you loved her…"

Cid sighed and nodded slightly. He had been hoping she'd simply reply in kind, but Yuffie hardly ever made things simple. _Well… I already spit it out, no sense in backin' down now,_ he thought to himself. "I wasn't lyin'," he said honestly, and winced when he saw Yuffie's face drop. "Hey," he said, pulling her chin back up. "I never said I was some fuckin' saint," he mumbled. "Fact I clearly remember tellin' ya I was a scumbag before you jumped into this thing with me," he added.

Yuffie sighed and closed her eyes. "I know, you warned me not to get involved!" she berated herself angrily. "I just—"

Cid cut her off with another swift kiss. "I ain't done yet," he murmured softly against her chin. "I love her, but it ain't a good thing, not like this is." He brought the little ninja in closer and held her with a deep sigh.

"Cid… what are you saying?" Yuffie asked, feeling her heart thudding in her chest.

He let his eyes trail off into the yawning darkness of the distant horizon. "I'm sayin' I want you to come back with me," he finally spoke.

Yuffie closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh; relief, trepidation, and a growing sensation of happiness mixed together with an equally sticky portion of guilt fought for dominance. "Shera—"

"This ain't about Shera anymore," Cid replied. "This is about you and me."

"Hmm," Yuffie said, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him. "You and me. I think like the sound of that." She stood on her heels and kissed him on the lips. Then to his obvious displeasure she drew back, her eyebrows drawn together. "Hey, Cid…"

"Mmph," he grunted, unwilling to make the effort to pull his lips away from her skin long enough to answer her.

"You don't taste any different," she said thoughtfully. "Well, except you have beer breath," she smirked, turning away as he tried to recapture her mouth.

Exasperated, Cid finally lifted his head and glared at her. "And why is this a fuckin' problem?" he grumbled.

"Oh, hey, no problem!" Yuffie said immediately, laughing as she stroked his chin. She noticed he had shaved, and briefly mourned the loss of the pleasantly rough stubble that usually graced his chin. "I just… well, I thought you'd be smoking the minute you could get your hands on a pack. Did they run out at the shop or something?"

Cid smirked at her and cupped his hand around the seat of her pants. "I found somethin' more addicting than the goddamn smokes," he murmured to her. Then he pinched her tightly and she jumped in his arms. "Ain't for free, though. You're gettin' rid of those fuckin' shorts," he growled into her ear.

Yuffie blushed and poked Cid's chest with her index finger. "Right here? Geez, you are horny!" she giggled. The giggle slid into a gasp as he suddenly grabbed her and ground his hips against her.

"Fuck," he swore softly. "That ain't what I meant, but you know how to give a man ideas, babe," he whispered into her ear.

Yuffie tried to still her breathing, remembering how many of their friends were actually still there in the building below them. Or, in the case of a certain red-cloaked companion, quite possibly eavesdropping on them from another one of his gravity-defying perches. "No way!" she hissed back at him. "Gawd, what if somebody walks in on us!" she whispered, mortified.

"Hmm," he grunted in annoyance and released her. Not before sweeping a hand slowly between her thighs and up the front of her shorts, however, firmly pressing into her with his index finger and drawing out a shaky gasp from her lips. "You're gonna fuckin' pay for that later," he said with a glint in his eye.

Yuffie eased herself out of his embrace, catching her breath. "We're both gonna pay for it," she laughed quietly. "We have to share the guest room with everyone else here, remember?"

Cid's face fell so quickly that it sent Yuffie into a fit of giggles. "Shit," he groaned, leaning back against the wall and rubbing his temples. "Gonna be a long fuckin' night." He shot Yuffie a speculative glance, then gave her a slow, dark grin. "Then we're leavin' tomorrow," he told her abruptly. The grin widened, filled with unspoken promises that brought the colour high on her cheeks and left her short of breath. "Make sure you're ready."

_**AN:** I had a bit of writer's block and a constantly hovering hubby breaking my concentration for the last half of the chapter, so it's a bit shorter this time. I did actually enjoy writing Cloud dialogue for once, though, and it was fun to put Vincent in a role other than the usual 'tortured romantic hero' bit for once. Hope it didn't turn out too badly, though feel free to click that little review button down there and tell me if it did. And wow! Only 41 reviews away from my goal! Thanks a lot, guys! (-:_


	12. Flyin' High

**Chapter 12: Flyin' High **

**_AN:_**_ Well, this is an extra long chapter for you guys, especially if you read the lemon. It's completely gratuitous this time if you're not interested in that sort of stuff though. Hope you enjoy, and please, leave a review and tell me what you think! I love reviews, and I'd still like to shoot for 100! (-: _

**_www . mediaminer . org / fanfic / view UNDERSCORE ch . php / 128146 / 441032 / _**

When morning dawned over Fort Condor, the first one awake was not Cid despite his resolve to leave early. Some individuals were just not born to be morning people. So it wasn't with a great amount of surprise that he woke to find the guest room completely empty, nor was he surprised to see everyone gathered around the large table happily eating and conversing when he stumbled into the mess hall.

"Whoa! Looks like somebody had a rough night," Reeve piped up first as Cid made his way towards them.

"Need my fuckin' coffee…" was the only reply Cid gave, ignoring them and seating himself heavily across from Yuffie. When he glanced up, almost everyone was staring at him with differing degrees of curiosity and surprise. He looked at the little ninja first, who gave him a conspiratorial wink. Reeve, who was next to her, appeared vaguely puzzled by his presence. He saw Vincent next, whose collar was up as usual. Still, he could have sworn the man was smirking behind it. Tifa gave him a warm smile and pushed a large mug of steaming coffee into his direction. And finally Cloud was at the end of the table, scrupulously avoiding his gaze in favour of eating his own breakfast, as though it was the most interesting thing there.

He sighed and took a long draught from the proffered mug. An apology for his rude behaviour from the previous day might have been in order, but definitely not before the first cup of coffee. "Mornin'," he finally managed gruffly after downing a large swill of the bitter liquid. There was a beat of silence, and then slowly, the tension around the table dissolved.

"Are you feeling any better?" Tifa asked him with a smile.

"Humpf," Cid grunted in response, lifting his mug again.

"Well, when are you going to tell us what's going on between you and Sh— UMPF!" Reeve said, his face contorting into a wince as soft thump was heard. Yuffie smiled innocently and picked at her plate of eggs.

"I thought we agreed not to bring that subject up," Cloud said softly, his eyes flickering up towards the other man.

"You agreed!" Reeve said, leaning on his elbows with a lop-sided grin. "I didn't, and inquiring minds want to know!"

"Gawd, Reeve, you're such a moron," Yuffie groaned, rolling her eyes.

"That's why you love me," Reeve answered her with a grin.

Cid's coffee cup landed on the table with a loud thump and he shot a glare at Reeve that was clearly filled with anything but love.

"Tactless as usual," Vincent murmured from behind his cloak.

"I prefer direct," Reeve answered with another cheerful grin. This one, however, he aimed at Cid, infused with the unexpected seriousness that occasionally surfaced beneath his bright personality. "So why're you avoiding us, eeeeh?" he wheedled.

Cid felt his eyebrow ticking; Reeve had always been persistent. Absently he wished that the man was using his mechanized moogle rather than sitting before him in person; it would have made hurting him more of a realistic possibility. "Well, since you already fuckin' know all about it, I don't see why I should say anything," Cid grumbled. Then he sighed inwardly. He had made a decision last night, and he knew he had to stick with it no matter how reluctant he was to make that decision public. "Yeah, me 'n Shera are havin' a few problems." He stared at his cup and took a deep breath. Saying it out loud would make it official_. Better from me than some goddamned paper,_ he rationalized. "We ain't gonna make it," he told them calmly, with an air of finality. "It's over."

Silence settled around the table; Cid and Shera were practically an institution in their world. He looked up from his cup and sought out Yuffie's eyes. "That ain't no one's fault but our own," he added loudly, holding her gaze. She blinked a few times, her eyes watering, and then quickly looked away. Then he let his glare drift over the remaining members of the group slowly. "And if any of you got somethin' to say about it, you say it to my face right now," he added darkly. "Don't pick on the kid."

Yuffie swallowed as she heard him and grew still; Cid had already revealed a lot to their friends, but with his last words she knew he was leaving the decision whether or not to announce their newfound relationship in her hands. She looked up slowly and dared a glance at Vincent, who was watching her. _Have faith,_ she thought as he gave her an imperceptible nod. "Hey, Cid," she said softly, turning to face him. Hesitantly, she reached across the table and clasped his hand in her own; an innocent gesture, so subtle and yet so strangely intimate in that most of them wouldn't have believed her capable of doing something like it. Cid Highwind didn't _hold hands_ with anyone, let alone Yuffie Kisaragi. She would have laughed, if she could catch her breath; it was something she wouldn't have thought herself capable of doing either, three days ago. "I thought I told you to stop calling me a kid already," she told him, losing herself in his soft gaze.

If that wasn't strange enough, Cid returned her touch, stroking a thumb softly over her closed fingers, not a hint of humour in his face. "Shit, I musta forgot," he said carelessly, though he met her eyes with certainty. _We face this together. _"Won't happen again, Yu, I swear it."

The looming silence was broken by a loud clatter as Reeve dropped his spoon. Yuffie finally looked away from Cid to smirk at the shocked man next to her, though she kept her fingers firmly intertwined in the pilot's own. "Clumsy," she sang, sticking out her tongue.

"Aah… Wha… You know I was just joking about you guys yesterday, don't you?" Reeve finally managed to blurt out. If his eyes had been bulging any further, Yuffie thought they might have fallen out of his head, the thought sending her into a fit of laughter.

"So wait," Tifa interrupted when she managed to snap her jaw shut. "You mean you and Cid really are-- well, you're—" She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but the words didn't seem to want to come out. Her expressive hands were doing a fairly good job of graphically indicating what she was thinking as she mashed them together stiffly.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Yuffie answered with a smirk, reaching for her own cup of juice and sipping from it languidly. Now that their secret had been aired, she was revelling in their discomfort and secretly wishing she had brought her camera to the table.

Reeve had managed to recover first and a sly grin was sneaking across his face. "You old dog!" he said to Cid, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "What's your secret? Because I've been trying to get Elena in the sack for ages, but she never—"

"Reeve," Vincent cut in with a pointed stare. "Tact."

The other man lifted his hands in the air and shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying. Can I sell the rights to your torrid love story though?" he asked again eagerly.

"What the hell do you think?" Cid sputtered with an incredulous stare.

"It's a done deal then—OWW! It was a joke, a joke!" he moaned, doubling over and wheezing as Yuffie hummed and looked up at the ceiling angelically.

"Yuffie," a soft voice carried across the table, and the conversation died out as Cloud looked up from his meal. He stared at her for a moment, the barest hint of a smile touching at his lips. "Don't worry about Barret, I'll be the one to tell him."

She looked down at the table, and her eyes sought out the hand that was still intertwined in Cid's own. She swallowed, her throat dry. Cloud was practically giving them his blessing; she knew then better than to hold on to any last, irrational hopes about the man she had once thought she loved more than anyone else. His gentle understanding heralded the start of a new relationship while at the same time firmly shutting the door on another; it felt as if a tiny piece of her heart was breaking off and slowly drifting away from the rest of her. Strangely, having that bittersweet emotion slowly fade made her feel lighter. Cid's fingers tightened against her own, and she found herself smiling. _I don't need that part anymore,_ she realized. "Thank you, Cloud," she murmured.

"So… what are you two going to do?" Tifa asked finally, overcoming her shock. "Reeve's right, the papers are going to be all over this… thing," she said to them, smiling uncomfortably.

"I hadn't thought of that," Yuffie admitted immediately. "I was more worried about what you guys would say," she mumbled, blushing slightly.

"Nothing half so bad as the tabloids," Reeve replied helpfully.

"Which is why you ain't gonna say a single word to any of 'em," Cid added, tapping a finger on the table menacingly. "This news ain't goin' anywhere 'till I get a chance to talk to Shera," he said grimly. A brief silence settled at the table at the mention of the other woman's name. Cid shifted uncomfortably and continued quickly. "We'll be takin' the Highwind out soon as we're ready," he told them. "So if any of you fools want a lift back to Midgar, start movin' yer butts."

Vincent was the first to speak, standing up from the table. "Thank you for the offer, but if that is the case I will be taking my leave now."

"You sure you don't want to be dropped off anywhere, Vincent?" Yuffie asked him curiously.

"There's no need," he answered easily, pulling his cloak around him. He gave a brief nod to the rest of the group. "It was a pleasure to see you again, as always." He added a smirk in Cid and Yuffie's direction. "Try not to enjoy yourselves too much," he told them smugly before leaving the room.

"I knew it!" Yuffie exclaimed furiously after Vincent's retreating back. "I knew he heard us last night!"

"Heard what?" Reeve asked instantly, a gleam in his eye.

"Don't answer that!" Tifa answered even more quickly, her face cherry red. "I think I've had enough surprises for one day!"

Yuffie had also turned red, staring at Reeve and Tifa in consternation. "Ewwww! Get your pervy little minds out of the gutter! We were just _talking!_"

"Riiiight," Reeve answered with another loud laugh.

"Cid," Cloud interrupted, his hand already moving to his forehead to rub at his temples as the others began to argue loudly amongst themselves. "I think I'll take you up on that offer." He pushed away from the table and stood, freezing when Tifa broke away from the discussion long enough to send a loud "HEY!" in his direction.

"Did you suddenly just forget about me?" she asked him angrily. "I need to get back to Midgar too!"

Cloud stared back at Tifa with his usual placid expression. "I thought you might want to spend a little more time here to sort out all that frustration you have with Reeve. It worked well enough for Cid and Yuffie."

Tifa's face exploded into an even brighter shade of red and Reeve's eyes bulged for the second time that day. Then he recovered quickly and gave the other woman a broad smile. "Why, Tifa, I never knew you felt that way—" There was another loud thump, and he doubled over with a yelp of pain. "What is this, beat on former Shinra employee day?" he gasped as Tifa scooted her foot back into its proper position underneath the table.

"Frankly, I think I've had enough of this place," she replied with a huff, standing up and trailing after Cloud. "Men are such babies," she muttered loudly as the two left the room.

Yuffie withdrew her hand from Cid's grip and made to stand. "I think I'm supposed to follow her in some kinda sign of female solidarity," she said with an apologetic grin. "Besides, I need to go check on my chocobo anyway," she added as she half-rose from the table.

"Hey, Yuffie," Reeve said, catching her arm before she could leave. "I'm sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "You know, what I said last night about Wutai…" He squirmed uncomfortably under Cid's scrutinizing glare and quickly released her arm. "I mean, we all did some things we weren't proud of back then."

Yuffie looked at Reeve and let out a sigh. He really did look crestfallen, and she felt some of her annoyance at him fade slightly. "Well, I guess I can forgive your insult…" she said thoughtfully. Reeve looked up at her with a large grin. "… if you give me that manipulate materia I saw on your watch," she added sweetly.

"No!" he yelled instantly, his hand flying to his wrist to check for the safety of the now-marked orb.

"No materia, no deal!" Yuffie yelled back at him.

A vein throbbed on Reeve's forehead. "I spent two years mastering that, Yuffie," he complained. Then he jumped as a heavy hand fell onto his wrist and gripped it tightly.

"Then you can spend two fuckin' minutes takin' it out and givin' it to her," Cid replied with a dangerous grin.

Reeve looked at the pilot incredulously while Yuffie's smile widened exponentially. "You're kidding, right?" he asked nervously.

"Am I?" Cid answered, the grin dropping from his face.

Grumbling, Reeve slipped the small orb out of his watch and dropped it on the table. "I think I liked you guys better when you weren't partners in crime," he huffed, standing up and brushing some imaginary lint off of his jacket. Then, digging his hands into his pockets, he gave them a broad smile. "Though… I am happy for you two. Really," he added, his face pulling into one of his more earnest expressions. "Unrequited love always made you guys look so tense before. It's about time you two started smiling again," he explained with a mild grin.

Yuffie and Cid watched him saunter out of the room, whistling to himself.

"Shoot," Yuffie said as soon as he was out of sight. Cid raised an eyebrow at her as she picked the small crystalline orb off of the table and eyed it longingly. "I think I might have to give this back to him now," she pouted. "Stupid Reeve. He doesn't need materia to manipulate," she complained.

Cid laughed briefly, and then grabbed her hand in his own. "You really okay with all this?" he asked her, reaching out and tracing a finger carefully along the side of her face.

Yuffie took a deep breath and nodded at him shakily. "That… went better than I expected," she admitted with a small grin. "I don't even know why I was so worried anymore!"

"Yeah," Cid admitted, rubbing the back of his head thoughtfully.

Yuffie smiled at him and stood, tucking the yellow orb securely away in her pocket. "I really do need to check up on my chocobo," she said apologetically as she stepped away from him. "I'll find you as soon as I'm done!" she promised, turning to leave. That was about the same moment Cid's eyes fell on her shorts.

"What the hell!" he thundered and Yuffie jumped in surprise.

"Geez, Cid!" she yelled, spinning around and tapping her foot. "You nearly scared the pants off of me!"

"Wouldn't take much to do that," he replied, staring at the shorts… no, _thing,_ she was wearing around her hips. They did drop lower than her previous pair, coming to mid-thigh rather than dangerously skirting the edge of her butt. That was conceivably the only thing about them that was more modest than her previous pair however. Full strips of fabric were missing from the sides, only to be replaced by decorative criss-crossed lacing that rose so high that he thought he should have been able to see the line of her underwear peeking through. Which he couldn't. Which meant either that she had changed into a skimpier pair than what she had been wearing before, or that she simply wasn't wearing any underwear at all. That made him swallow thickly. The front of the shorts were also closed with carelessly loose lacing, and the whole thing hung even lower off of her hips than her previous pair. Worst of all, however, was their cut; the shorts were moulded against her curves like a second skin. Cid was fairly sure that most bathing suits would have left more to the imagination. He spent a few distracted moments appreciating the full impact of her new outfit before remembering why he was so upset. "That was not what I meant when I told you to change!" he yelled at her.

Yuffie's face dropped into a cute pout, and she shifted her hips just far enough to make his head tilt as he followed their motion. "But I wore these just for you," she complained.

Cid snapped himself back to attention and renewed his glare. "And everyone else!" he yelled. "What you got ain't for other men to see!" He sprung up from the table and approached her with a dangerous scowl. He looked livid, and Yuffie backed away quickly, a nervous smile on her face. She stopped when she bumped against the wall, but he didn't, planting his hands around her head and leaning in with a furious glare.

"Cid, we're in public!" she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. Partly because he looked so angry, but more because his close proximity roused all-too-clear memories of his hands on her skin.

Cid slowly looked down, glancing over her entire outfit. Besides the shorts, she was still wearing the same lace-up boots; she had replaced her mini zip-up vest, however, with an impossibly brighter tropical version. She still had yet to replace the headband she had given him, though. If he was honest with himself, it wasn't actually a very unusual outfit for Yuffie to be prancing around in at all; just as flashy and gaudily risqué as most of her other clothing. It was the knowledge of having her that had changed the skimpy little outfits for him; he had felt the soft pressure of her thighs wrapped around his own, and now he didn't want her sharing even a glimpse of them with anyone other than himself. He reached out and ran a hand down her throat and over the thin fabric of her vest, thrilling in the knowledge that she wore nothing beneath it; even as his fingers barely brushed over her he felt her nipples poking through the thin fabric.

With a shaky oath, he drew away from her, his jaw clenching. "Put some fuckin' clothes on," he muttered harshly.

Yuffie breathed deeply, trying to push away the blush and the swirl of emotions he had aroused with his slow inspection. When the fluttering euphoria faded, it was replaced by a slowly growing sense of indignation. "Excuse me, but I'm not going to stop wearing these clothes just 'cause you say so," she replied, the beginning of a fire flashing in her eyes. "I didn't ask you to stop smoking, did I?"

"That ain't the fuckin' point!" Cid growled at her, his own annoyance also resurfacing.

"No, that's exactly the point," Yuffie shot back, crossing her arms in part defiance, and in part to cover herself and hide how much his touch had excited her. _Urk, though I guess a few more clothes right now wouldn't be a bad thing,_ she thought with a twinge of embarrassment. Righteous anger quickly overrode practical concerns, however. "I _like_ wearing these clothes! Just because I love you doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing what I want, you know!" she said hotly. "It's my life, Cid. Stop acting like my dad, because you're not!"

He opened his mouth to reply angrily, and trailed off. "You love me," he said slowly. He wondered if she realized it was the first time she had said those words to him directly.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Well, like, duh!" she said, planting her hands on her hips. "That doesn't mean I'm gonna let you tell me what I can do!" she added, narrowing her eyes at him challengingly.

His anger returned, burning hotter than ever. Yuffie was _his_ now, they had just made it official; she would just have to learn to understand that. Cid glared at her, his teeth beginning to show from the intensity of his frown. "So you get a fuckin' rise outta flashin' every man in the room like a little slut?" he answered her.

Yuffie stared at him, the expression rapidly draining from her face. Too late, Cid realized that he overstepped his bounds. Her fists clenched, and she stepped forward. Her hand met his cheek with a resounding slap that echoed through the empty room.

"I was a _twenty-one year old virgin_ before you came along, in case you already forgot," she hissed at him under her breath. "If you ever say something like that again…" She blinked rapidly and took a deep breath, shaking her head slowly.

Cid backed away from her and sat down heavily on the bench. The sharp pain of her hand meeting his face had penetrated the angry, possessive haze that was blanketing his mind. As her words began to register, it felt as though all of his strength was being sapped from his body. "Shit," he swore softly, feeling his fingers go numb. _Is that why?_ he wondered, looking at his hands. He had always thought Shera was frightened by his body, the idea that he might physically hurt her somehow. With Yuffie standing before him, admitting her love for him openly and yet still ready to walk away, it suddenly became clear that the worse abuse didn't always leave visible scars.

_Is that what I've done to Shera?_ he thought with a shudder. That was the difference between the two women, he realized then. He would tell Shera what to do, and she would willingly lie down and let him step on her. Yuffie, on the other hand, wasn't willing to break herself to please him; in fact, she was more than ready to shove his hurtful words right back down his own throat and leave him on his own. _Alone._ An icy jolt raced through him, cracking open a yawning, dark chasm of fear that threatened to consume him. He scrambled off of the bench clumsily and barrelled into Yuffie, who stiffened, but didn't draw away when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Fuck…" he mumbled into her hair, closing his eyes and holding her tightly; _did I lose her already?_ he thought dimly. He felt hollow and weak, disgusted with himself and yet he couldn't bring himself to let her go. "Yuffie…" he whispered, his voice raw with pain. It was only when he felt the soft pressure of her arms around his waist that he realized he was trembling.

"Shh," she whispered, closing her eyes and relaxing in his arms. "It's okay, Cid, calm down."

He took a deep breath and forced his arms to relax, though he still couldn't let her go. The vague fear that she would step out of his grasp and out of his life kept them locked around her. "I don't wanna lose you," he managed to say.

Yuffie remained quiet, her arms drifting up and down his back slowly, comfortingly. "I do love you, you know. Even when you're being an asshole."

Cid smiled faintly, and tightened his arms briefly. "I don't have to like it when you wear those fuckin' clothes," he grumbled. "… but I won't try an' change you," he added quietly.

"Hmm, well, I'm not sorry I slapped you," Yuffie laughed lightly, though he could hear the tell-tale tremble in her voice that spoke of tears. She turned her head in and kissed his neck softly. "Cid…"

He bent down and pressed his lips against hers, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb and trying to convey everything he felt with touch alone. When they broke apart, her eyes were still overly-bright, but the raw hurt in them had been dulled away. "No more words," he told her gruffly. Then he pushed her away and turned around, avoiding her painful gaze. "Go look after yer damn chocobo. I need to prep the Highwind." Even after he heard her leave, he spent a few more moments gathering himself before he dared to turn around.

**.x.x.x. **

"Ohh…" Yuffie moaned, curling up into the tiniest ball her body could manage to contort into. "Why does it have to be so far away?" she complained weakly.

"You're the one who wanted to go home," Cid reminded her, though he did send a sympathetic glance in her direction. They had been underway in the airship for almost an hour, first dropping off the others on the fields near Edge before starting on the journey to Rocket Town. Less than ten minutes into the trip, however, Yuffie had suddenly come up with the idea that they needed to visit Wutai urgently.

"My old man might be a big jerk, but he's a BIG jerk," Yuffie had said with a nervous smile. "A big, ninja-trained, sword wielding, country-ruling jerk. You don't want him comin' after us when he's mad." After a brief argument, Cid eventually admitted that Shera was less likely to start a land war than Godo on hearing the news and had changed course. Unfortunately for Yuffie, however, Wutai was on the opposite side of the hemisphere, which meant a very long trip. And, of course, a very long trip on the airship could only mean one thing for the little ninja.

"I should've stolen more tranquilizers," she moaned, doubling over and making gagging noises.

Cid sighed and tried to feel dutifully sympathetic, but it was difficult when she kept threatening to vomit all over the control deck of his precious airship. "Hey Yu, maybe you should ride this out on the balcony…" he mentioned uneasily.

"Uhh… don't make me move," she groaned, her eyes squeezing shut. She let out another hacking cough and swallowed loudly, and Cid flinched again, looking mildly ill himself at the prospect of her remaining in that position for the duration of the flight.

"You want some water or somethin'?" he asked cautiously.

"No!" Yuffie yelled, waving her arms at him wildly, then doubled over again shortly after. "If you leave the controls, what'll happen to the ship? Oh my gawd, we'd go down in a flaming ball of fire and die a horrible, painful death! Oooh…" Her face paled again and she leaned back against the floor with a listless thump.

"Shit," Cid said, shaking his head slightly. "You're the one who's makin' yourself so damn sick," he complained. "Flyin' ain't that bad! You didn't look like a goddamn frog when you were hang glidin'!" he told her.

"Shut up!" Yuffie snapped, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. "Hang gliding is different! If I'm gonna crash then, at least I'll know I did it to myself!"

Cid chewed on the toothpick in his mouth with a thoughtful expression. "Huh," he said. If most of her motion sickness was caused by her fear of flying, he realized, then there was a possibility for everyone-- and every_thing_-- to make it through the trip unscathed. "Get up, Yu."

Yuffie let out a tiny whine of protest and didn't move.

Cid cursed under his breath and walked over to her, looking down at her sprawled body. A smile worked its way across his face; her physical reaction to motion sickness was so extreme it was almost comical. Still, she hadn't actually lost her breakfast yet, which meant there was a good chance that her illness was mostly theatrics. That, or he was going to be spending a long day wiping up the navigation controls on the Highwind if his experiment failed. "I ain't kidding, get up," he added, reaching down and grabbing her arms to pull her upright.

Yuffie stood unwillingly, cracking her eyes open and swaying unsteadily. She caught a glimpse of the clouds rushing by through the large windows and instantly closed her eyes again with a loud gulp. "Cid!" she complained. "Let me die in peace!"

"You ain't gonna die," he groaned, guiding her to the navigational control panel. "You're gonna fly this thing," he said, scooting her firmly in front of the large panel.

Yuffie opened her eyes and let out a loud squawk of surprise. "That's not funny!" she squeaked, her voice several octaves higher than normal. She jumped as Cid placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them a firm squeeze.

"I'm right here behind you," he told her. "Quit yer bellyachin', I ain't gonna let you crash my baby," he said reassuringly. Then he reached over her and began to point out the controls, slipping easily into his teaching mode. Cid had trained so many pilots over the years that it was almost second nature for him. "Speed," he said, pointing at one of the flashing knobs. "Over there we got altitude," he continued, motioning at another set of switches. "This way goes up, that way down. And there's the manual steerin'," he said, pointing at another lever. "Don't worry 'bout the coordinate system or landin', you ain't gotta learn all that hard shit that right now."

"You mean not ever!" Yuffie replied quickly, her eyes wide with panic. The paleness of fright looked slightly more productive than the paleness of illness, however, so Cid took it as a sign that his plan was working.

"C'mon, babe, I know you can handle it," he said, guiding her hands to the steering lever. He kept his own hand firmly wrapped over hers as he discreetly disengaged the navigational system. Then, carefully, he moved her sweaty palm over the controls.

Yuffie let out a tiny, breathless gasp as the clouds before them shifted, mirroring the gentle tilt of their hands. When her breathing steadied, Cid slowly reversed the motion, circling the airship slowly in the opposite direction. This time, Yuffie didn't tense up quite as much, and he smiled. "See? Pretty fuckin' simple," he told her, easing his hand away from hers.

Yuffie didn't notice, her eyes still wide with shock as she turned the airship on her own. "Whoa…" she finally managed to murmur in awe. The colour had returned to her face, and she was starting to look more curious than ill. Experimentally, she tried turning the airship a little more courageously, and let out a small scream of delighted shock as the ship veered to the side.

Cid laughed as he stepped back and shifted his weight to compensate for the sudden tilt, keeping his balance. "Easy now, she's real sensitive."

Yuffie smirked, both hands going around the steering lever with a twinkle in her eye. "I'm a sensitive kind of girl," she replied, her motion sickness disappearing under her rapidly resurfacing curiosity. She tilted the ship again and laughed loudly, her excitement almost visible. "Geez, why didn't I ever do this before?" she said, cutting the ship through the air in haphazard patterns.

"I wonder," Cid managed to choke out. He was still on his feet despite Yuffie's rapid, sharp turns, but he was beginning to understand how she felt earlier. "Somebody tell me why I thought this was such a fuckin' good idea," he grunted to himself, grabbing for the edge of the control panel as the ship jerked wildly again and Yuffie squealed with delight.

"Hey, let's go higher!" he heard her say and he let out a low groan of dismay. Still, watching her lean over the controls, he couldn't stifle the grin that spread over his face. Seeing his current obsession handling his lifelong one was the equivalent of a mechanic's wet dream. Especially since she was still wearing those tiny strips of cloth that passed for shorts. And he was very definitely a mechanic.

A gleeful laugh brought his attention away from Yuffie's butt and back to her face. She had stopped playing with the altitude control, his stomach noticed with a tiny twist of relief, and was now having fun pushing the airship to its fastest speed without resorting to unleashing the jet rockets. Inwardly, Cid gave a mental sigh of thanks that he hadn't actually shown her how to activate them. Then he gave another mental groan of satisfaction, because the velocity control rested on a particularly distant panel, one which forced the short ninja to stretch out fetchingly as she reached for it. With a slowly expanding grin, he sidled up behind her and put his hands around her waist. "There's one last thing I wanna show you right now, babe," he murmured in her ear.

Yuffie twisted eagerly in his arms, her eyes shining with anticipation. "The jets, the jets!" she cheered, jumping up and down, or at least trying to in his firm grip. The only thing she actually managed to do was create a delicious friction between them as she squirmed, and her eager, childish smile tapered out and turned into a wide-eyed intake of breath as she felt the results of her motions.

Leaning over, Cid flipped a large switch on the panel and slowly drew Yuffie against him. "The autopilot," he informed her, pulling her away from the controls.

**.x.x.x. **

Yuffie leaned against the railing breathing heavily, and she felt Cid's arms wrap around hers, supporting himself as he bowed over her. A trickle of sweat rolled off of his forehead and splashed onto her head, and she exhaled with a shaky giggle. "If anyone ever finds out about this," she murmured to him, "you'll never train another co-pilot again."

"What they don't know can't hurt 'em," Cid replied, grinning into her sweat-dampened hair. Reluctantly, he eased off of her and she straightened up.

"Ouch," Yuffie winced as she felt her sides. "Cid, I think that's gonna bruise!" she complained, inspecting the red welts at her hips where his hands had been.

"Good, maybe you'll stop wearin' those shorts then," he smirked.

Yuffie looked at her feet and giggled softly. "I don't think anyone will be able to wear those shorts again," she observed, picking up the tattered cloth. "Great, I really liked that pair," she pouted.

Cid grabbed the dangling cloth and used it to pull her towards him, trapping her in his arms. "Me too," he murmured, kissing her jaw softly. "Damn, Yu… you make me crazy, you know that?"

Yuffie smiled lightly. "Hmm, I like it when you're crazy. Therefore, the shorts stay," she informed him.

Cid grumbled against her, his arms tightening.

"Cid?" Yuffie said firmly, pushing him away. "I mean it."

He stared into her face, searching, and then let out a loud sigh. "Yeah, I know," he agreed reluctantly. "I won't try an' tell you what to wear." She was still watching him, he noticed, so he gave her a grudging smile. "Guess I can't really complain 'bout something that gets results like this after all," he told her as he raked his fingers down her side.

Yuffie kissed him deeply before pulling back with a blinding smile. "Glad you finally see it my way!" she cheered, draping herself across his arms. "Now, are ya gonna show me where the rockets are?" she pleaded, blinking her eyes at him in an obvious play for sympathy.

Cid only smirked and pulled her in closer. He heard her heart speed up, and brought his lips to her ear and paused, waiting. When he heard her breath hitch into a shallow pant, he drew his tongue slowly across the outer shell of her ear, then took a deep breath. "The sex wasn't that good," he whispered, and with a firm slap across her butt, he pushed her away. Her indignant screech of protest mingled with his loud, rumbling laughter, filling the cockpit with the joyous cacophony of their voices.


	13. Ties That Don't Bind

**Chapter 13: Ties That Don't Bind**

Yuffie stood in the small pen that held her chocobo and ran her hand across its beak absently. It warbled and ducked its head against her chest, trying to squeeze another green out of her; after a few moments of overly-cute squeaks and head butts, it gave up. The human was obviously not paying attention to anything before her.

That wasn't entirely true; Yuffie's mind was playing in sharp detail exactly what was before her, at least waiting for her in Wutai. "Home again," she murmured to herself. It hadn't been too long ago that she was last in Wutai; she knew the others would still be happy to receive her, probably considering it a brief reprieve from her normal insanity. At least until they saw Cid. "I wonder what Godo will say…" she murmured to herself, dropping her head against the chocobo.

"Yu?" Cid's loud call echoed through the airship and she quickly snapped her head up and gathered the reins.

"Coming!" she yelled, pulling out the chocobo behind her. She had to put some muscle into the task when Cid came into view; with a laugh, he walked up the open ramp and helped her pull the stubborn bird outside.

"Guess your bird don't like the idea of us ridin' together anymore," he said as Yuffie mounted the chocobo. After closing the hangar door, he pulled himself onto the chocobo behind her, careful to keep his weapon at arm's length while he did so.

With a start, Yuffie noticed he was carrying the Venus Gospel rather than her homemade lance; what was unusual was that the headband she had used to balance the other spear was now attached to the handle of his spear. She realized that he probably didn't understand the significance of flying the symbol of her clan crest around his weapon. "Uh, Cid…" she said with a nervous gulp.

"Yeah?" he asked, slipping a now-familiar arm around her waist.

_If we ride in like this, people are gonna know…_ she thought, her stomach flip-flopping. Then her mouth smoothed into a thin, unhappy line. "Nothing," she said softly, kicking the chocobo into a trot. "It would be a lot easier to get into Wutai if we had taken a boat instead of the airship," she sighed absently.

"Easier on who? You'd be makin' me sick the entire way here!" Cid answered her with an affectionate squeeze. He was in an unusually good mood, she realized; she leaned into him and tried to absorb his cheer and strength into herself.

"Hmm. You ain't worried about this, are you?" he asked quietly.

Yuffie snorted loudly. "Me, worry about Godo? That'll be the day," she replied. "No… I'm not worried about seeing my old man… umm, though it's probably a good thing you brought your lance," she added with a small laugh.

"That's real comforting," Cid grumbled, though without any real worry. As far as he was concerned, the real battle was waiting for him in Rocket Town.

Yuffie chose to break off their banter, and a comfortable silence settled around them as they rode towards the city. Wutai was a well-protected, isolated island country; aside from the multitude of small farming settlements in the fertile valley between the steep mountain passes, the bulk of Wutanese civilization and culture was contained in the harbour city that shared the same name as the country. Reaching the valley, however, was quite a journey. Harsh mountains and barren plains acted as a natural buffer for the isolated community, and the lush interior valley was so densely settled that there was no possibility to land with the airship. Their arrival into the city would be unannounced and unexpected, Yuffie knew; again the nervousness fluttered up in her stomach and she kicked it back down angrily. _I'm myself,_ she told herself firmly. As they crossed the rickety bridge and the face of the Da Chao came into view, however, her heart leapt into her throat and she pulled the chocobo to a halt.

_I am also Kisaragi,_ she realized, barely hearing Cid's confused question as she slid off her mount. "Just a minute," she said faintly, her feet carrying her automatically towards the sheer drop of the mountain's edge. The distant spikes of the village rooftops were just visible, little more than brightly-coloured specks in the lush greenery of the sloping valley; she could almost discern the unique shape of the pagoda rising above the other buildings. _Home,_ she thought, inhaling deeply and trying to ignore the brittle tang in her mouth.

"Yuffie?" she heard Cid ask behind her, his voice tinged with worry. He fell quiet when she replied in Wutanese. Though he couldn't understand a word she was saying, the tone of her voice held him in check. The soft, lilting cadence of her native language seemed foreign on her breath. Yuffie was loud and quick, her sentences always direct and to the point. The language of Wutai, however, was not built for loud declarations; it was a musical tongue of graceful subtlety. A slight feeling of uneasiness passed through him as he realized how little he actually knew about Yuffie's life; she suddenly looked like a stranger to him, standing motionless at the cliffside and speaking softly in a strange tongue.

Yuffie was only dimly aware of Cid's presence; she took in the beautiful valley and felt her heart thunder against her chest. "Wutai," she whispered to herself. The harsh, salty wind of the sea was making her eyes water and whipping stinging lashes of her short hair into her face. Her shoulders tensed, and she wasn't even aware that she had switched languages when she opened her mouth. _"In the dew drops of the mountains, soaked, I waited for you—grew wet from standing there, waiting for you,"_ she whispered bitterly. Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into the thick leather of her gloves tightly. Then a hand was on her back and she jerked in surprise, the spell broken. "Oh, sorry!" she exclaimed, smiling at Cid.

"Yu?" he asked her uncertainly. "You looked a little funny there," he said carefully, wary of her bright smile.

She stuck her tongue out at him and pulled him back towards the chocobo. "Yeah, so? You always look funny," she teased. "C'mon, we're almost there! If we hurry we'll arrive just in time to upset Godo's afternoon tea ritual," she said with an evil grin. "And you never get a third chance to make a second impression!"

"That ain't exactly the kind of impression I want to make," Cid protested as they continued their journey towards the city.

"Too bad, because it's exactly what I wanna do," Yuffie said, her smile growing hard. Cid wisely remained silent as she spurred the golden chocobo into a run, thundering them noisily towards the city gates in flurry of wind and dust. A few straggling pedestrians on the paved road leading into the city had to dive out of the way hastily when they landed on it; Yuffie didn't slow down one bit. By the time they pulled up to the large red torii that marked the entrance to the city, a scrambling contingent of spear-armed guards had assembled to meet them.

Cid tightened his grip on his lance with dismay as he noticed a sparkle of magic surrounding them; "Wall!" he heard Yuffie say and the protective barrier briefly solidified, encasing them both. "Is there somethin' you wanted to fuckin' tell me!" he yelled to her as the guards lowered their weapons into preparation for an assault.

"Be ready!" Yuffie shouted back, laughing as she unhooked the Conformer from her gauntlet and sent it flying ahead of them.

"Oh, shit…" Cid mumbled with a sinking feeling when she let the weapon fly. The surprised line of guards broke formation and went flying as the sharp metal of her blade clanged against their spears, slicing cleanly through the wood shafts. Shards of wood and pointy metal tips rained around them as Yuffie and Cid charged through the gate without slowing down, bowling over the few guards who still remained in their path.

"Yeah!" Yuffie yelled, reaching up and catching the shuriken as it circled back towards them. She laughed loudly, pulling in the reins of the chocobo and slowing them to a stop in the large square of the market. There was a sound of whistling metal cutting through the air and she turned in time to see Cid's lance held up protectively before her face. He dropping the tip with a scowl; wrapped around it was a length of chain attached to a wicked-looking hook. With a grunt, he jerked it back, sending the weapon flying out of the grasp of their attacker.

"What the hell is goin' on!" he yelled, shaking the chain off and readying his lance for another onslaught. "Why are these bastards attackin' us?"

"But it is _you_ who are attacking us," a polite voice responded; it was the large man who had thrown the chain. He approached them, a wry grin flashing across his face. "Ahh, Miss Yuffie, I suppose I should have known. Living away is making you sloppy, I would have had you there but not for your companion," he sighed.

"Yuuuuuuuuu!" another higher-pitched voice squealed, and a short teenager came barrelling towards them, waving his arms around his head wildly. "You're back already!"

Yuffie slid off of the chocobo and caught the boy, spinning around and laughing in delight. "Shake! Staniv!" she yelled happily, waving at the large man with a huge grin. "You guys are the ones who're slacking! Those guys suck, Cid and me were able to break through without even a scratch!" she added, waving a thumb carelessly over her shoulder at the scattered guard.

"Dorkbutt," Shake replied, shrugging out of her grasp and smoothing down the wild mop of dark hair that she had upset with her head-noogie. "You probably made your old man choke on his tea. Why do you always have to do that when you come home?"

"Because it's my right," she answered cheekily, turning back to Cid. "Hey, come down, they won't attack us anymore," she called out to him.

Cid just stared at the trio in disbelief, shaking his head slowly. "Helluva a way you got of sayin' hello here," he grumbled, holding up his lance as he slid off of the chocobo. When he landed and looked up, he noticed Yuffie smiling a little too brightly at him. Then he noticed everyone's eyes were trained on his weapon. He turned the lance on its side and raised an eyebrow. It was a particularly fine weapon, the best of its kind that Cid had ever found. That didn't explain the looks of bafflement and shock that were registering on the faces of Yuffie's friends, though. "What? Don't tell me you ain't never seen a mythril spear before?" he asked with a note of disbelief.

"Yuffie," Staniv said first, falling into Wutanese. "What exactly is the meaning of this?"

Shake was not so tactful, still speaking in the common tongue that Cid could understand. "Godo's gonna kill you, Yu!" he shouted, his eyes bulging.

Yuffie straightened her back and glared at the two men until they fell silent. "First of all, when you speak to me, you speak to him too. Understand?" she said coldly.

"But—" Staniv replied, still in his native tongue.

"No buts!" Yuffie shouted. "You speak this language or you don't speak, that's an order!"

Staniv's mouth snapped shut though his eyes glinted, and he gave Yuffie a stiff bow. "Yes, my lady."

Cid watched the exchange with an increasing feeling of uneasiness. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and felt the teenager's stare boring into him.

"But he's so…. blonde," Shake mumbled, still staring at Cid in shocked awe. "Godo's gonna make him climb the pagoda for sure."

"Shut up," Yuffie said stiffly, grabbing Cid's arm and marching him away from the other two men. "We'll see Godo when we're ready. You tell him to stay away from my house until then. And stable the chocobo!" she added, stomping away.

"Miss!" Staniv called out from behind her, his voice low in warning. "Are you certain you want to insult your father further by making him wait?" He gave her a disapproving glare, and Yuffie frowned at him.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be over there soon enough, don't get so worked up," she grumbled, pausing to bow slightly at the other two. Discreetly, she tugged at Cid's hand and shot him a pleading glance.

"Huh? Oh…" he mumbled, bowing uncertainly. He straightened with Yuffie and followed her closely as she led them through the busy streets towards her house. Several greetings and smiles of recognition were directed their way as the crowd parted; however, the smiles froze almost immediately when they fixated on Cid's lance. There also weren't as many tourists milling around the city as he had remembered; as a result, he felt more and more uncomfortable as they walked through the crowd. Cid would have stuck out in any case with his large height, huge muscles and blonde hair amidst the sea of dark-haired, diminutive people. His one comfort was that Yuffie stuck out almost as much as he did; though she was also obviously Wutanese, her outlandish clothing and self-confident stare set her apart from the others as clearly as his own natural appearance.

When they reached her house, Yuffie shut the door behind them quickly and then leaned against it with a heavy sigh. Cid immediately began to pace inside the dusty room uneasily, still gripping the lance. "Are you gonna tell me what the hell is goin' on here, _my lady?_" he asked her sarcastically.

"The Kisaragi clan has ruled Wutai for generations, Cid," Yuffie replied, cracking an eye open wearily. "Don't be dense."

"Well I wouldn't feel like such a goddamned fool if you'd tell me what's going on!" he answered, glaring at her.

"Your shoes," Yuffie said suddenly, pointing at his feet.

Cid looked down at his feet and then looked up again in confusion. "What about 'em?"

"They're still on your feet!" she explained, dropping to her knees and beginning the tedious process of unlacing her own boots. "Oh boy… it's time for a lesson in Wutanese culture," she grumbled. "You can start by taking off your shoes every time you step into a building around here," she added, motioning for him to join her side.

Cid frowned, but sat next to her and slowly pulled off his boots. "Why now? Last time I was here nobody gave a shit about my goddamn feet. They also weren't starin' at me like I had an extra fuckin' head," he said curtly.

Yuffie sighed and kicked one of her boots off and then began to work on the other. "Wutai has been changing since you were last here," she said softly, concentrating on loosening the laces and keeping her voice steady. "Godo's been doing exactly what I wanted him to… he's been restoring Wutai to its glorious roots." Her fingers stilled over the string and her tone grew bitter. "I'm the one who's the idiot," she added softly.

Cid leaned back and wrapped an arm around Yuffie's shoulders, and she leaned into him too easily, like a deflating balloon. "Babe… what's goin' on?" he asked her gently, tucking a thumb under her chin and turning her face towards his own.

She blinked and gave him a wane smile. "I got my wish. Godo's been busy transforming Wutai out of a tourist trap and back into an empire." She closed her eyes and looked wistful. "I grew up with the stories of how mighty our warriors used to be, how proud and strong we were, full of honour and glory and all of the things that I thought Shinra had taken from us when we lost the war." Yuffie shook her head as if to clear it, but kept her eyes closed. "I grew up in a country invaded by foreigners and resort hotels and tacky photo ops and I hated it, I hated it so much." She wound her fingers in his shirt tightly and turned her face into his chest, a heavy sigh escaping her. "And now I helped Godo bring the real Wutai back, and it's…" Her shoulders shook slightly, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "… it's not at all like I thought it'd be."

Cid sighed and stroked her back gently, thinking of the city they had passed through. It was true; gone were most of the tacky vacation locales that had flooded the city on his first visit five years ago. In its place was a strange, stately air of pride that hovered over the people almost tangibly, from the smartly-dressed cell phone-wielding businessmen to even the poorest fishermen in the marketplace. Wutai was definitely no longer a broken country. "Isn't that what you always wanted?" he asked her.

"Yeah, just… not like this!" she complained, sitting up abruptly. "Don't tell me you didn't feel it out there," she added, gesturing at the doors angrily. "We're like a circus attraction to them! All weird and different and _foreign,_" she spat, balling her hand into a fist and resting her chin on it. "They're just all smiles right now because we're famous."

"… and you're Godo's daughter," Cid reminded her dryly. "They were lookin' at me, babe, not you."

"Godo's daughter…" Yuffie repeated with a wry smile. "Nobody looks at _Godo's daughter_ that way because she's _special._ Yeah, I think I must be Wutai's second biggest embarrassment after losing the war. I'm definitely not acting like a proper _daughter of Godo_ right now." She said the words as though they were a title, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "_Daughters of Godo_ don't wear shorts. _Daughters of Godo_ don't cut their hair short. _Daughters of Godo_ don't circle the globe on a chocobo stealing materia and picking fights with other people."

Cid sighed heavily, beginning to grasp the enormity of Yuffie's problem. "You can't blame yourself for—"

"I don't blame myself!" Yuffie yelled suddenly, sitting up straight and shrugging off Cid's arm. "I know exactly who I blame! I blame that old bastard for doing this to me!" she said, her voice tight with fury. "Telling me those all those stories... forcing me to train so hard and love so much…" She blinked and hastily wiped away the angry tears that were forming at the corners of her eyes. "It was a lie, it was all a big fat lie!" she cried, squeezing her hands together and digging the heel of her palm into her forehead.

Cid watched her trembling, feeling largely helpless; she was battling a hurt that he couldn't fight or protect her from; his attempts to bolster her confidence only seemed to inflict more pain. Still, not knowing what to do, he grabbed a hand away from her face and held onto it tightly. "One day you'll be the one in charge here, an' then you can change it back the way you like," he tried.

Yuffie laughed and opened an eye to peek at Cid from behind her other hand. The smile on her face was crooked, more of a grimace than anything else. "That's just it. I don't want it to go back. This is what I always wanted, this is what's good for Wutai. Everybody's happy this way except for me." She shook her head again and stood slowly, squeezing Cid's hand tightly. "I still hate Godo though…" She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "That mean old bastard. If he really wanted me to be happy, he shouldn't have shown me what it's like outside! How can he ask me to go back now, to be something I'm not after everything I've seen and done?"

Cid followed her up and wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe he knew," he murmured into her hair.

"That I'd never fit in?" Yuffie exclaimed loudly.

"That it'd take someone as fuckin' crazy as you to bring his Wutai back," Cid replied.

She fell silent in his arms, leaning against him. "Hmm… sacrifice your daughter for the good of your country… sounds just like something that jerk would do after all," she murmured, though the anger in her voice had drained away, replaced instead with weariness. Then she sighed and returned his embrace. "At least I have you now. Thanks…" she whispered, feeling slightly ashamed that she couldn't express the force of her gratitude with anymore more than that single inadequate word. Cid didn't seem to mind, however, simply bending down and planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head. A lump of overwhelming emotion rose in her throat, and she swallowed to drown it before it broke loose and send her bawling like a baby into his arms. _I will not show weakness,_ she told herself firmly. _Not here, not ever here._

"Ahh," she muttered loudly, stepping away from Cid and swiping at her eyes. "We better get you through this crash course on Wutanese etiquette before we see Godo today," she added, pulling him into the room. "I guess we can start by having you stop announcing that we're already married to the rest of the city," she giggled, coming to a stop as Cid planted his feet into the floor.

"THE HELL?" he roared.

**.x.x.x.**

Some time later, Cid found himself sitting stiffly at a low table inside of the huge central pagoda, trying to convince a very carefully watching Godo that he liked the taste of green tea. _I could fuckin' kill for a smoke right now,_ he thought, fighting the urge to twitch under the other man's piercing scrutiny.

"So this is who you chose to bring back with you?" Godo said to his daughter after a few moments of heavy, tense silence. "He's a barbarian."

Yuffie stiffened but refused to answer him, staring at the cup of tea in front of her angrily. She had changed into a short kimono in a small attempt at appeasing her father's wrath for not coming to see him immediately. At that moment, however, she was kicking herself mentally for having bothered with the attempt at pleasantry; his attitude was making her feel more inclined to try and force her shuriken up his flaring nostrils.

"Yuffie!" Godo yelled angrily, slamming his hand onto the table and glaring at her.

She looked up and scowled at him. "Speak so he can understand you or I won't talk," she said tersely, daring him to reprimand her.

"Hmm. Very well," he said finally, turning to glare at Cid. "You there, Highwind. What do you think you're doing here?"

Cid met Godo's glare with one of his own. While the two men were of roughly the same height and build, Godo wore his girth around his waist. It made his angry glare significantly less intimidating. "Well, I thought I was tryin' to drink a cup of this fuckin' chocobo piss you gave me," he answered slowly.

There was a loud clatter behind the closed screens as a few of the serving maids fainted clean away. Yuffie almost sprained her neck with the speed that she looked up to stare at Cid. Her mouth dropped open slightly, then closed again as a small, approving smile stretched across her lips.

Godo's face turned four separate interesting shades of red as his jowls quivered. "You dare to speak to the Son of Heaven in such a manner?" he managed to spit out.

Cid gave Godo a lazy grin that didn't quite make it up to his eyes. "I'd call you a son of somethin' else if it wouldn't be insultin' to Yuffie," he replied. "But since you asked, yeah. I ain't the one bein' the rude asshole here. _You_ wanted to see _me._ Now you can't even say one goddamn word to my face? Shit, I've probably been _rulin'_ Rocket Town longer than you've been sittin' on your cushy little throne here. Show a little fuckin' respect."

Godo's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the two men stared each other down. Finally Godo broke the tense silence with an unamused laugh. "So, you're a real man, then. Very well," he said, sweeping the cup away from Cid. "We drink sake!" he yelled, and there was a flurry of motion as a few maids popped out of nowhere and quickly collected the tea cups and replaced them with the steaming flasks of rice wine. Cid could only stare in surprise at the sudden ordered commotion; the women were silent and efficient, like ants that came out of the woodwork to do their duty before disappearing just as quickly behind the sliding screens. It reminded him uncomfortably of Shera's presence, only it was _everywhere._ It made Yuffie's glaring differences from her countrymen stand out that much more clearly.

As if to drive the point home, Godo shifted his gaze onto Yuffie, who was still grinning, and gave her a small frown. "Pour the sake," he told her.

Yuffie felt her hands ball into fists under the table as she gave her father a defiant glare. He looked at her placidly and spoke in Wutanese with a note of iron in his voice. "_I_ will speak his language, and _you_ will pour the sake."

Yuffie flinched and grit her teeth together. "Fine," she spat out. Then, very deliberately, she approached Cid's side and carefully picked up a flask, filling his cup with the practiced, delicate air of a professional. When she was done, she shot up and stomped over to Godo, messily slopping the wine into his outstretched cup before slamming the flask down on the table in front of him. She flounced back to her seat and sat down, giving her father a false smile. "Happy now?"

Godo carefully set his cup down and shook off his wet hand, returning Yuffie's glare. "If you weren't my daughter, you ungrateful little thing…" he began lowly.

"I wish the same thing every day old man!" Yuffie shot back nastily. Then she bit her lip as Godo looked away, a slight flinch passing over his features. "Umm, Godo…"

He turned to face her, scowling fiercely. "A Kisaragi does not apologize!" he bellowed.

Yuffie dropped her head, blinking angrily. "Yes, _father,_" she hissed sarcastically.

"And you," Godo snorted, turning his glare onto Cid. "Parading through the streets, waving about our clan symbol like the barbarian that you are! Do you realize how much your mere presence has scandalized our family? The difficulty I will now face marrying off this daughter of mine since you damaged her reputation with your ignorance?"

"Wait a fuckin' minute here!" Cid said angrily. "Just because you're her dad don't mean you got a say in what she does with her life!" he yelled. He beat down the brief feeling of shame as he stared at Godo, seeing who he was, _who he could have become,_ and focused on the rapidly mounting anger pulsing through his veins. "I should break your goddamn—" he began, half rising from his seat.

"Cid!" Yuffie yelled, shooting him a look that warned him to remain seated. He swore at her and started to rise again, and she shook her head quickly. "This is my problem, I deal with it," she said lowly, letting her eyes drift to her father.

"Yuffie!" Godo shouted at her. "That you constantly try to provoke me is already shameful enough, but that you now involve an innocent man in your plans—"

"You shut yer mouth," Cid piped up, but Yuffie reached over and touched his hand, silencing him. The motion didn't go unnoticed by Godo, who suddenly fell quiet and stared at Yuffie with a suspicious, disbelieving look.

"He's not innocent," Yuffie said clearly, squeezing Cid's hand, "and neither am I."

They held each others' gaze, father and daughter, so like each other but so irrevocably different.

"You're being serious for once," Godo finally said, sounding upset.

"… yeah," Yuffie answered, the first hints of nervousness making their way into her tone.

Godo sighed and sat back, dropping his forehead into his palm and hiding his eyes. A long sigh left his body in a massive whoosh, and he smiled painfully. "There are times that I wish your mother was still alive," he told her in Wutanese.

"Are you gonna blow your top now?" Yuffie asked him cautiously, also in their native tongue.

Godo laughed shortly, shaking his head at Yuffie. "I'm considering it. Tell me, daughter…" His mouth twisted slightly at the use of the term; they rarely ever referred to each other as _father_ or _daughter_ unless in the context of an insult. Now, as he tried to say it as an endearment, the word fell between them strangely, detritus that marred the normally clear waters of their painful relationship. "Does this man love you more than I?"

Yuffie swallowed and looked away from Godo. She wondered, had her mother lived, if they could have bridged the gap between their two worlds. Now, even as she heard his tentative offer, she knew it was too little and much too late. _Wutai will always come before either of us,_ she realized. "I don't know," she answered softly. "You never told me if you ever really did."

Godo grunted and turned away from her, hiding the flash of regret that stole across his features. After a few moments he spoke again, his tone stern. "There are other factors to consider besides your feelings for each other," he said to both them.

Yuffie's moment of emotional uncertainty puffed away in a swirl of hot anger. "Oh, here we go again!" she complained, releasing Cid's hand and throwing up her arms. "What now? The honour of the family name? The glory of our country? You can take your traditions and stuff 'em, you old fart!" she yelled.

"Even if you choose to ignore them, you can't change who you are! And you ARE a Kisaragi, no matter how unbelievable the rest of us may find it to be!" Godo fired back. "However, as you show so little interest in upholding your own family honour, this no longer concerns you. Leave us," he said cuttingly.

"Godo—" Yuffie seethed.

"No. Since you want to be known as a woman so badly, then you will also be treated as one." He cracked an eye open, seeing that Yuffie hadn't moved. "Go quietly," he warned her, "or I will send for Staniv and Gorkii."

Yuffie flushed and stood up from the table, putting a hand on Cid's shoulder. "You have my permission to hurt him if he bugs you," she muttered darkly to the tense pilot. "And if you try anything stupid, Godo, I swear I'll come after you and any of the not-so-mighty gods you try to throw at me!" she threatened.

Cid glanced between the father and daughter, who were staring each other down with so much intensity that the air practically crackled between them. Yuffie's fingers, which were still digging into his shoulder, were also starting to hurt. He cleared his throat loudly and extracted her hand carefully. "I think I'll be fine, Yu."

Yuffie trembled slightly, but met Cid's eyes and gave him a swift nod. "Fine," she said tersely. "Just call me if you need help with the bloodshed, I wouldn't pass that up for the world," she drawled, glaring at Godo one last time.

"Impudent girl," Godo muttered under his breath as she stomped out of the room, shutting the screen behind her with a forceful slam. He directed a semi-amused stare at Cid. "Are you sure you still wish to marry that?" he asked sarcastically.

Cid choked on the sake he had been attempting to drink to calm his nerves. Godo noticed immediately and his expression darkened considerably.

"You DO intend to marry my daughter, do you not?" he thundered ominously.

Telling Godo that he hadn't actually considered it yet and that he was, in fact, still chewing over how exactly he was going to break off the relationship with his live-in girlfriend of nine years didn't seem like a wise course of action to the pilot. _Feint!_ Cid thought with a nervous twitch. "Yuffie hasn't actually agreed to anythin' yet," he said carefully. He drained the sake cup completely in relief as Godo sat back with an annoyed sigh, rolling his eyes upward.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl," he muttered angrily to himself. "Well, you will simply have to convince her that she has no other option," he said to Cid reasonably. "You will make my daughter an honest woman, or I will kill you," he added, sipping at his sake nonchalantly. He said it as casually as though they were discussing the weather outside, and with a chill Cid was suddenly struck by how very similar Godo and Yuffie's behaviour was at times.

"I hope we can agree on this matter," Godo added, giving Cid a shrewd stare. "Yuffie is a terrible daughter, but she is still MY daughter. If you ever hurt my baby girl, I'll find new ways for you to define pain by experience."

"Yes sir," Cid grunted; at some point in the one-sided conversation, he had realized that the best way to make it out of Wutai in one piece and with Yuffie at his side was to start nodding. He still couldn't quite bring himself to the 'smiling' part of the equation, however, considering how dismissively Godo treated both himself and his daughter.

"Good, good," Godo said absently, taking another slow sip from his cup. "Well then, you may leave."

Cid stared at Godo in surprise. "That's it?" he asked, dumbfounded. "You ain't gonna make me climb some fuckin' pagoda or anythin'?" he echoed.

Godo sighed slightly. "Of course not. Your foreign blood would taint our most sacred ritual," he explained as though it was obvious. "Neither you nor Yuffie will ever rule this land for your insults to our tradition and family name. Come back when you've provided me with grandchildren, I might be more inclined to talk of your future in Wutai then."

Cid scowled and glared at Godo, who still looked completely untroubled. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he ground out. "If you think we're so fuckin' bad, why're you just lettin' us walk away from here?"

Godo looked at the blonde man before him and tried to keep himself from being too horrified at the choice his daughter had made. Cid Highwind was rough and uncouth, despite the patchwork attempts Yuffie had obviously made to make him at least somewhat presentable in company. Not only did he swear like a sailor, he looked like one to boot. Cid's age didn't bother him quite as much, as it wasn't an uncommon practice in Wutai for marriages to be arranged between older men and younger women. What was really unforgivable, however, was that the pilot was not a native of Wutai; he was _foreign._ Still, he thought of his daughter and tried to squelch the obviously mutual revulsion they shared for each other. He took another sip of his sake and spoke slowly. _"That you like me not, it may well be – yet can we not both admire the orange tree which blooms in the garden?"_

"The hell?" Cid stared at him blankly, and Godo sighed noisily and tried to remind himself that foreigners were generally ignorant to Wutanese ways and not purposefully insulting. Though he was very hard pressed to believe that, considering the amount of obscenities that dribbled diarrhetically from the blonde's foul mouth.

"Because," he enunciated slowly, "despite what you obviously believe, I actually do love my daughter." He reached down and poured himself another cup of wine, very obviously ignoring Cid as a sign of dismissal.

With an incredulous shake of his head, Cid rolled to his feet and strode purposefully towards the door. He paused as Godo interrupted him before he could step out of the room.

"If you can show her happiness, Highwind, it will be enough to earn my respect." He looked over his shoulder to see Godo giving him a wry smile and toasting him with the cup. "It was the one concept I never was capable of teaching her myself."

**.x.x.x.**

"So how'd it go?" Yuffie asked Cid as they joined each other outside of Godo's pagoda.

"I ain't sure," Cid answered, scratching his head. "He gave me some instructions, read me some poetry, an' told me to get lost."

"He's kicking us out of Wutai then?" Yuffie asked casually as they strolled down the street.

"I don't think he's throwin' us out," Cid sighed uncomfortably. There was no getting around it, so he took a deep breath and pressed forward. "He said you ain't ever gonna rule Wutai, Yu."

Yuffie fell silent, several expressions rapidly crossing her face. Surprise, anger, sadness; she swallowed and grabbed his hand tightly. _Not regret, I won't feel regret,_ she told herself sternly. "Hey, Cid, what'cha say we blow this joint? I wanna climb the Da Chao," she said, pointing at the elaborately carved mountainside overlooking the city.

"Whatever you need, Yu," Cid replied sympathetically, and Yuffie squeezed his hand painfully.

"Don't," she said, dropping her head and letting her hair slide across her face, hiding it from his view.

"Yuffie?" he asked carefully, feeling her hand twitch in his.

"Don't give me your pity," Yuffie replied suddenly, lifting her head and staring at the mountainside with a fierce expression. "I'm a Kisaragi. I don't need your pity."

Cid stared at her, then gave her a slow nod. "Yeah," he agreed. "You don't need to rule a goddamn country to have class," he told her, sweeping a hand through her hair. "Show me this mountain of yours," he asked, and she relaxed slightly and nodded at him. It was easier for her to escape from the city when he gave her a reason to call it something other than running away.

They spent the rest of the afternoon scaling the rocky paths of the sacred mountain of Wutai, Yuffie carefully explaining the origin and meaning behind each face. She outlined every aspect of each Wutanese deity that she could remember being taught; she talked until she had purged herself of every piece of religious lore she was sure she had ever learned. Then she summoned Leviathan and let his sacred water spill over the face of the mountainside as a sign of blessing. Afterwards, she withdrew the red orb from her armlet and tried to fling it over the face of the mountainside as well. Cid caught her hand before she could toss it away and gently extracted it from her grasp.

"This might come in handy someday," he said simply, pocketing the orb, and after a moment of inscrutable silence she nodded and let him keep it.

They stayed on the mountainside, watching the sun set over the city, and then the stars as they were unveiled slowly, one by one. When the moon was high in the sky, Yuffie reached for Cid's hand and gripped it tightly; he leaned over to kiss her and her mouth opened in a soundless cry against his. She reached for him hungrily then, stripping him of his clothes with a desperate, almost panicked frenzy, and he made love to her, trying to soothe away her pain with gentle touches and soft kisses. When she climaxed above him, staring into the bright moon, she allowed a single tear to escape, dropping from her eye to be absorbed into the rocky earth below them.

_Another blessing for Leviathan,_ she thought as she watched it fall. Afterwards as she lay spent against Cid's chest she listened carefully to the sound of his breathing, waiting until it smoothed into the gentle, even rhythm of sleep. Gently, she disengaged herself from his protective grasp and walked to the edge of the mountainside that overlooked the country of her birth. The salty sea-wind blew, stinging her face, and her hands clenched again, the half-moon impressions from her nails now biting into skin. She felt her heart weeping the tears that she wouldn't allow to fall from her eyes.

_I might never return here, _she realized faintly, suddenly grateful that Cid had held onto her summon. She spread her arms out over the city, feeling the wind blow through her, and laughed softly. _"Though we are parted, if on this mountain peak I should hear the sound of pine trees growing, I'll come back to you,"_ she whispered into the night. Feeling strangely hollow, she turned to return to Cid's side and saw him leaning up on one elbow, watching her intently. She stared at him silently, wondering how much she really loved him.

"You're beautiful," he said after a moment, his eyes never leaving her face. "I don't fuckin' deserve any of this."

Yuffie felt herself smiling at him, and decided then that she loved him _enough._

_**AN:** There's probably what seems like a conspicuous lack of lemon in this chapter; that actually is on purpose. I hope brief the change in style served the purpose I was trying to get across for that passage. There's also a slew of heinously bastardized Japanese poetry in this chapter, so I'm just going to credit the poets and hope that I can be forgiven for massacring the original form and sentiment so much. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! And thank you so much to those of you who dropped a line, I really appreciate it! Edit: Cleaned up the chapter a bit. Damn but I need to proofread better._

_Prince Otsu for Yuffie's greeting to Wutai_

_Anon. from "Man'Yoshu" for Godo's quip to Cid_

_Ariwara no Yukihira for Yuffie's farewell to Wutai_


	14. Homecomin'

**Chapter 14: Homecomin'**

Cid and Yuffie returned to the small house on the outskirts of the city that she had claimed as her own before the sun rose. The nervous anguish that had nearly consumed her the previous day had dissipated into cheerful smiles, though Cid knew better than to assume it was gone. It was just compartmentalized and buried among Yuffie's mental boxes of 'troubles to be dealt with later, if at all.' He sometimes wondered at her ability to push away problems so easily, though he couldn't actually bring himself to ask her about it as he watched her bustling through the dusty house.

Yuffie flung open another screen and paused, feeling Cid's eyes on her back. She turned slightly and gave him a small, genuine smile, one that wasn't oozing with manic happiness. "I'll be okay," she assured him quietly. Then she took a deep breath and let the smile widen into her usual air of good cheer. "Gawd, there's nothing more depressing than moping around feeling sorry for yourself! I think if life hands you lemons, you should make the world think you like citrus," she added cheekily. Rifling noisily through a tall bureau, she gave a small crow of victory when she found what she was looking for; several sheets of thin parchment, a hard stick of ink, the stone plate to grind it on and an elegant bamboo brush. "Hey, Cid, make yourself scarce for a while," Yuffie said absently as she deftly arranged the items on the table. "I have to pack up here and you'll probably be bored out of your mind."

Cid frowned and didn't move from his position against the doorframe. "In case you ain't noticed by now, I don't like bein' the entertainment of the week in this town," he replied in a surly tone. He softened his expression slightly and moved over to her, easing his hands over her shoulders and rubbing them gently. "I want to be here, Yu. I know these folks think I'm just some dumb fool who don't know his head from his ass." He sighed and traced the curve of her throat with a gentle sweep of his thumbs. "An' maybe you're right, I don't know jack shit about Wutai. But I know it's part of you." She twisted slightly in his arms, craning her neck to look up at him. "An' I want to know every part of you," he admitted quietly. "Don't act like the rest of them. Don't shut me out."

She stared at him with her poker face, and he realized vaguely that it wasn't a poker face at all; it was a Wutanese face, he had just never realized it until then. He felt suddenly uncomfortable and vaguely embarrassed and moved to withdraw his touch from her skin with a chilled feeling. Her own hand shot up and trapped his fingers against her cheek before he could draw away, however, and her expressionless grey eyes filled with a touch of the emotion he was used to seeing in her. "Then bring me some water," she told him, turning to kiss his fingers before going back to her work.

The feeling of uncomfortable coldness seeped out of him, and Cid held her for a few moments longer before reaching for the cup on the table to fulfil her request. He sat at the table across from her when he returned, observing her soften the ink against the stone plate with a few swift, rhythmic strokes. The whole atmosphere was very cathartic, and soon he found himself slipping into a sleepy half-daze while he watched her prepare to write. She dipped the brush a few times in the moistened ink and held it delicately over the sheet of paper, bringing her other hand underneath her writing arm in a swift motion. Then her short, loud laugh broke the spell and he blinked, looking at Yuffie in bewilderment.

"I went to grab the sleeve of my kimono and I'm not even wearing one!" she told him, setting her free hand aside with a small grin of embarrassment. "It gets like that if you spend too much time in Wutai," she admitted, the tip of her brush wavering over the thin paper. "You just start taking a lot of things for granted. Everything we do has a ritual and form," she explained slowly. "It becomes easier to follow those rituals and forms instead of thinking things through for yourself, asking whether they make sense or not." She bit her lip and smiled at Cid. "It doesn't matter if it's about holding your sleeve when you write or marrying the man your father chooses for you. It's all just one big fat ritual that everybody follows, never bothering to look up. I hate it, but..."

Yuffie sighed, re-dipping the brush in the ink and then set it against the paper, scribbling out words in a flowing script that Cid couldn't read. She continued to speak as she wrote, her free hand unconsciously hovering under her bare arm and following the motion of her wrist needlessly. "Everybody in Wutai is a creature of habit." She lifted the brush from the paper and inspected her work thoughtfully. "I think that's why I fell in love with Cloud at first. He was _different._"

Cid's gaze flickered from the paper to Yuffie, who wasn't watching him. "You're different, too." She slid the paper aside and then dipped the brush back into the ink, preparing to write again. "Everyone looks at you here because you're not like us. Almost nothing about you is like us." She paused in her writing and looked up to smile at Cid. "Don't ever be embarrassed about that no matter how they stare."

"Huh," Cid grunted, feeling the urge to lean across the table and kiss her. It would upset the spell her brush was weaving through the atmosphere of the room, however, so he held still and watched her quietly. "What're you doin'?" he asked her as silence started to settle around the room like the dust on the floor.

"I'm telling Chekhov to look after my cats," Yuffie replied with a grin. "Gorkii and Staniv are squares, but Shake's pretty cool. He's like a little brother to me. The other letter was for him, I told him to come visit me sometime before he becomes another Wutanese zombie." She paused and let her brush waver uncertainly over the paper. "Chekhov took care of me after my mom died," she explained. "Man was she strict, always ninja-training this and ninja-training that!" Yuffie laughed. "You can blame her for turning me into such a materia freak!" The smile faded and Yuffie swallowed. "I think I'm gonna miss her the most."

"Well, just tell her to come visit you too sometime," Cid replied easily. "There's enough room in our house for guests."

"Uh-uh," Yuffie replied, shaking her head and closing her eyes. "Chekhov takes her duties seriously. She'll never leave Wutai, not for anything, not even me." Then her eyes shot open and she nearly ruined the page as she dropped the brush. A splatter of ink splashed across the table, its dark edges spreading slowly outwards in a messy star. "… enough room in our house?" she repeated faintly.

Cid met her gaze coolly. "Our house," he said firmly. When it finally appeared as though Yuffie had digested that information, he let a small grin crack across his face. "What, you thought I was gonna make you live in the damn tool shed?" he asked.

"B-but Shera—" Yuffie gawked, her mouth flapping open.

"She'll have to move out," Cid replied. "Well, I guess she can keep her old room while she's lookin' for a new place, I ain't that much of a bastard," he added thoughtfully. "Gonna be hard to entertain your guests if she stays, though." It felt good to leave Yuffie speechless every once in a while even when they weren't naked, Cid realized with a smug sense of satisfaction.

The carefully written sheet, the inkwell, the brush and the entire peaceful atmosphere of the early morning were completely ruined when Yuffie leapt across the table to tackle him.

**.x.x.x.**

"You sure you wanna do this alone?" Cid asked, crossing his arms and glaring at the house angrily. Yuffie was mildly surprised that the mostly wood-and-paper building didn't spontaneously combust under his glower.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You get along with Godo almost as well as I do. And it won't make him like you any more if you end up killing a few of his personal guards," Yuffie replied. "Besides, this is just gonna be a quick in-and-out operation," she added, cracking her knuckles. "I'm not leaving here without them, though."

"Yeah, well…" Cid began, gnawing on his toothpick furiously.

"Go back to the house and finish loading the chocobo!" Yuffie said, planting her hands on her hips and giving Cid her own glare. "It's gonna take us long enough to get outta this place on foot anyway!"

"Fine," Cid groaned, throwing his hands up. "I'll see you at the gate, then. I ain't hangin' around in front of yer house like some goddamn free show for the whole neighbourhood."

Yuffie laughed and stood on her tiptoes, planting a small kiss on Cid's nose that softened his annoyed expression considerably. "Just go, I'll be quick," she promised. She watched him walk away, waiting until he was out of her sight before turning around and regarding the residence before her. "In and out," she promised herself, stepping onto the veranda and sliding the door open. She caught herself reaching for the laces on her boots and stopped, a smirk rising on her face. Leaping backwards, she landed on the earthen road and spun a few times, raising several small clouds of dust around her. When she was done, she stomped into the house gleefully, leaving several dirty boot prints along the floor in her wake.

The inside of the house was hushed and peaceful, filled with the quiet sound of running water from the small koi ponds in the room. Tempering her footsteps, Yuffie crept along the hallways, searching for the room that was once her mother's own. Finding it, she slid the door open and let out a small sigh of sadness. Nothing had changed since she was last there; it was as if time had been frozen in the room on the day that her mother died. Godo had the maids clean the room meticulously, so not even a scrap of dust could collect among the bottles of perfume, hair brushes and make-up scattered over the tabletop. With a small twinge of guilt, Yuffie quickly shucked off her boots and stepped into the room cautiously. She half-expected herself to shrink and turn into the little girl she once was, to hear the screen door sliding open behind her to reveal her mother's smiling face. The memory held her frozen for a moment, her eyes closed as she stood in the room and breathed in the soft scent of jasmine and lotus blossoms.

After a moment she let out a long sigh and opened her eyes; she was still herself, her mother was long gone, and even as she warily eyed the toiletries on the dresser table, she wondered if she would have even gotten along with a woman who obviously belonged to a world that was so completely different from her own. She caught a glimpse of her own reflection in the mirror; wide grey eyes framed by scraggly, short hair, and smiled. "Hey mom," she said, waving to herself. "I know if you could see me, I'd probably be letting you down too, huh? Sorry about that." She blinked and looked away quickly, crossing her arms. "I'm just here for your kimonos. I know… me, going after a kimono willingly! I don't even know if I'll ever wear them," she added softly, moving over to a few pillows that were scattered across the floor and tossing them aside. She lifted the loose slat of wooden flooring underneath them and quickly removed the long, thin boxes that were hiding inside. Reverently she opened the most ornately decorated one and lifted the thin tissue paper away. Elaborate brocade swirled in undulating patterns over the rich red silk of the uchikake inside. Yuffie let her hand slide over it carefully, closing her eyes. "I think you'd want me to have this one though." A small noise made Yuffie spin around in shock, and her face closed into a guarded scowl as she saw Godo watching her from the door. "How long have you been there?" she asked furiously.

Godo tilted his head slightly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, it wasn't hard to find you with all the noise you were making in the hall. You even left tracks! And you call yourself a ninja," he said, shaking his head.

Yuffie quickly stuffed the paper back into the ornamental box and slammed it shut. "Just stuff it, old man," she said through grit teeth. "I'll be outta your hair soon enough."

"…she wouldn't," Godo replied, not moving from the doorway even when Yuffie stood, boxes gathered under her arm, and tried to push past him.

Yuffie stepped back and scowled; she really didn't want to fight Godo in her mother's old room. "How do you know she wouldn't want me to have them?" she said instead. "I haven't noticed any other daughters of yours around here!"

Godo stared at her intently, his face an unreadable mask. "She wouldn't be ashamed of you," he clarified.

Yuffie swallowed and looked at him. She knew Godo well; he made it a policy never to apologize or admit to being wrong. That was why she knew that he would never tell her any of the things she wanted to hear from him; simple words of affection or comfort or even forgiveness. He was too proud. Still, in the safety of the strange cocoon that was once her mother's world, he seemed to soften and bend slightly, allowing those few words to slip out for both of them.

"You will always be her daughter, no matter where your path takes you."

Yuffie blinked back the unexpected water that threatened to spill from her eyes; she knew Godo would be angry to see her cry. _I hate you,_ she thought brokenly, dropping her head in shame. She heard the soft rustle of cloth and saw Godo's feet move aside, freeing her path. "There is a black chocobo in the stables that has been giving me some trouble lately," he said absently. "Take care of it on your way out."

Yuffie set aside the precious parcels and crouched down, slipping into her boots and not daring to look up as she laced them. When she was done, she picked up the boxes at her side and stepped past Godo. He made no move to stop her, and after three more steps, she stopped herself and swallowed heavily before speaking. "I won't miss you, father."

Godo smiled and moved to the door of the small room, looking in with a wistful expression. "You will not be missed, daughter," he replied.

Yuffie felt the smile briefly quirk at her own lips, and then drawing herself up proudly she strode out of the house; neither of them looked back.

**.x.x.x.**

When they met at the city gates, Cid appeared to be more surprised by the fact that there had been no loud explosions in the city than that Yuffie arrived riding on the back of a black chocobo. After packing away the last boxes, they were soon riding back towards the Highwind, gold chocobo in tow. By the time they had loaded everything into the airship and were ready leave, Yuffie was feeling much more nervous at the prospect of arriving at her new home than she was depressed at leaving her old.

"You sure you ready to do this?" Cid asked her one last time as they looked out through the huge windows of the airship at the island below them.

"I think the question is if you are," Yuffie answered, turning to Cid with a nervous smile. "I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm gonna be sick and this time it's not 'cause we're flying," she admitted, leaning against the railing and planting her chin in her palm.

Cid smiled slightly, momentarily distracted by the sight of her unconsciously mimicking the position of their trip into Wutai. It didn't last for long, however; he had other Shera-sized problems on his mind and for once Yuffie was actually dressing relatively conservatively, at least by her standards. The headband was still missing from her loose mop of hair, but for once her vest actually covered her midriff and her shorts, which were neither scandalously short nor eye-poppingly tight, were even closed properly. Though he found himself missing the usual flash of skin Yuffie liked to display, he could see the logic behind it. It would be bad enough that he was flying in to Rocket Town to greet his soon-to-be former girlfriend with a younger woman on his arm. Dressing like a tart wouldn't have helped ease the tension for anyone.

"How long until we get there?" she asked him nervously.

"Less than an hour," Cid told her as he carefully orchestrated the ship's controls. Rocket Town wasn't actually very far from Wutai at all, and after he set the auto pilot he joined Yuffie at the rail and watched the clouds rushing by the windows.

"Wanna mess around?" she asked him.

"Not really," he answered, settling more comfortably against the rail.

"Hmm, I must be losing my charm," Yuffie joked, sidling next to him and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"You're assumin' you had any to start with," Cid replied with a small grin, chuckling when her hand came up to strike the back of his head softly.

"This coming from mister personality himself," Yuffie grumbled. She resettled against his arm and sighed softly. "I'm scared, Cid," she admitted in a small voice. "I mean, I don't know Shera all that well, but it's not like she's some stranger I can just ignore…"

Cid reached over and drew his hand through Yuffie's hair comfortingly. "You ain't the only one, Yu," he admitted. He gave her a smile when she lifted her head away and stared at him incredulously.

"You're scared?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Could've fooled me! You look as cool as a cucumber right now! You're not even sweating!" she protested.

"Well, I told you I didn't want to mess around right now…" he began.

Yuffie rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "You're even making jokes without cuss words in them! You're so not scared!" she repeated.

Cid laughed and leaned over, silencing her with a messy kiss. He drew back and stared at her, the faint humour slowly fading as he turned to look at the sky again. "Look at that," he told her, gesturing at the sky. "Incredible, ain't it?"

"Huh?" Yuffie turned her head and watched the clouds whisking by. "Yeah, I guess. I hardly notice it unless I'm looking, though," she admitted sheepishly. "Mostly on purpose," she added with a grin, quickly directing her gaze back to Cid's face. Though it would be fairly safe to say that he had literally driven the last vestiges of her motion sickness away, she wasn't willing to tempt fate by watching the sky move while she was standing still.

"Yeah, it ain't quite the same thing when you're in this hunk o' junk no matter how fast she can go," he admitted.

Yuffie almost fell off from the guardrail as her grip loosened in shock. "I thought the Highwind was _your baby,_" she said when she recovered. She flashed Cid a dirty glare when she saw he was laughing at her again.

"She is," he answered with a grin. "But it ain't really the Highwind that I care about," he added, turning back towards the windows. "I love flyin' and it don't matter how I get up there." He sighed slightly. "I almost forgot that 'till you came along and fucked with my vacation," he added.

"I told you you'd like hang gliding," Yuffie replied with a smug grin. It slipped off her face when Cid turned back to face her, his expression serious.

"I always wanted to fly ever since I was a kid," he told her earnestly. "The rush, the speed, the whole damn package… scared the shit outta myself more than once," he added. "But I didn't care. The risk was always worth it. No amount of bein' scared could compare to the feelin' of being up there, free, and _alive_." He reached out and ran his finger gently between her eyebrows, smoothing away the tense line that had appeared as she drew them together. He let his palm drift downward, cupping her cheek in his hand gently, and marvelled at how fragile she felt in his rough hands. "Yeah… I'm still scared shitless," he admitted. "But that don't bother me so much anymore. If I'm scared, least that means I'm movin' forward again. I'll take bein' scared of flyin' over hiding behind some fuckin' safety any day."

Yuffie continued to study Cid even after he fell silent and resumed watching the clouds pass by through the windows. Finally she let out a small laugh and dropped her head back on his shoulder. "You've changed," she said softly.

"You too," Cid mumbled. "Kinda like it."

Yuffie nodded against him. "At least we'll be scared together."

An hour later, the ship was descending towards Rocket Town, and the peaceful, zen-like calm that had blanketed both Cid and Yuffie was dropping away as quickly as their altitude.

"I don't even wanna know what the fuckin' papers have been sayin," Cid said, releasing the controls as the ship settled on the ground.

"Are we gonna see her as soon as we get out?" Yuffie asked nervously, looking almost as pale as she did when she was normally motion sick.

Cid shook his head tensely, waiting until the airship powered down completely before moving towards the cargo bay. Yuffie trailed after him, wobbling slightly. "Ain't her style," he explained, opening the door to the chocobo pens and waiting for Yuffie to lead their mounts out.

Yuffie paused as she brought the first chocobo out, staring at Cid. Then she broke into a high-pitched laugh that was powered more by her jittery nerves than humour. "If you keep clenching your jaw like that, you're gonna break your toothpick!" she told him.

"Already did," he grunted, grabbing the reins from her and pressing the lever to open the hatch. "This is my third fuckin' one. Go get the other chocobo."

"Boy, you sure get snippy when you're nervous," Yuffie replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Then we'll be fine, you talk so goddamn much when you're worried, no one will notice a problem," he replied. He waited for her to reappear from the stables before stepping down the ramp that led outside.

Yuffie followed him out, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, except for the fact that we're, like, here. Together." She took a deep breath and puffed up her cheeks, then blew it out noisily. "I don't think the papers will be saying much. I bet Reeve already made up some fantastic story that's way more embarrassing than reality to cover for us. Geez, have a little faith in our friends," she said with a tiny smile.

"Great, but what about that fuckin' _'wedding announcement' _we made in Wutai?" he asked.

Yuffie shrugged as they strolled together towards the town. The airship was so massive that it was, as usual, parked outside of the settlement itself. It gave her a chance to drink in the sight of her new home, and she noted the huge scaffolding still rising above the houses with a small grin. It practically screamed of Cid's handiwork. Shaking her head slightly, she smiled at Cid, whose face was still pinched with worry. "Lighten up," she told him.

"She deserves to hear it from me, not some goddamn reporter!" Cid replied angrily, his jaw clenching.

"Well, if Reeve did his job well, she _will_ hear it from you. The people in Wutai would never spill to outsiders, not after we spent all those years finally kicking them out of our—" She coughed lightly. "Their country."

Cid looked down at Yuffie with a small frown. "Why the hell'd you let me do that anyway if you knew what it meant?"

Yuffie blushed and grinned at Cid nervously. "Well, I just wanted to show Godo that I was serious. You can't always be direct with him, it's just in one ear and out the other. He understands tradition and rituals better sometimes." She scuffed her feet in the dirt reluctantly. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, though."

"Forget it," Cid said, shrugging. "I didn't mind."

Yuffie looked up from her shoes and eyed Cid curiously. "What do you mean?" she asked him quietly.

"Damn, you are stupid sometimes, aren't you?" he groaned. "Don't really take a rocket scientist to figure out I'd fly your colours anyway. Damn lucky for you I am one, though," he laughed.

Yuffie dipped her head again and looked at her shoes, her face turning bright red. "Are you joking?" she asked in a small voice.

"Naw," Cid replied easily. He paused to wave a brief greeting towards a few of the local residents who had spotted them entering the town. "Dead serious," he added, looking at the cowed girl.

"… don't mention it again until after you've talked with Shera," Yuffie managed to choke out.

Cid nodded and gave Yuffie a gentle nudge with his elbow. "I know the dirt is fuckin' fascinating, but maybe you wanna look up sometime and check out your new stompin' grounds."

Yuffie smiled and lifted her head, taking in the city. It was larger than she remembered, but still small enough to have a homey, personal feel. And, she noticed from the smiles and greetings they were getting, that it was still completely Cid's town. "Wow… I thought it'd be different," she murmured, waving back at a few of the residents who recognized her.

"They're used to puttin' up with my shit," Cid told her. "They ain't gonna make a fuss just 'cause you're famous. I outrank you here," he gloated. He noticed her head drifting towards the small outfitter's shop and scowled, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to his side. "Christ, Yu, don't fuckin' steal from the shops! I still have to order my parts here!"

She turned back to towards him with a petulant pout and a shrug. "Fine, fine. See how much I love you?" she said, sticking out her tongue. She relented under his stern glare and gave him a genuine smile. "I feel right at home here already!"

Cid reached out and cupped her chin, his blue eyes softening as he stared at her. "You'd manage to get by anywhere," he told her. The sadness in his tone gave away his thoughts, though; _anywhere but in your own country._ She realized he was still feeling guilty and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"It's not your fault," she said firmly. "It's not the place that makes me feel comfortable or not, it's the people who are there with me." She smiled him and dropped his hand to her chest, trapping it over her heart. "And wherever you are, that's home to me now." The look he gave her made the rest of the world fall away; she felt warm and protected and finally _complete._

"Yuffie," Cid murmured, leaning in closer towards her. He froze and drew back at the sound of an opening door.

"You're back," Shera said softly. Her eyes slowly drifted from Cid to Yuffie and then returned to the pilot. She looked stunned, her face whitening, and Cid stepped towards her nervously. Shera automatically took a matching step back into the house, an expression of hurt flashing across her face, and he froze. The seconds ticked by as the trio remained unmoving, tension stretching the air thin between them. Then she stepped forward, dropping her head in an apologetic bow. "Miss Kisaragi, what a surprise," she said, her voice calm and steady, carefully avoiding her face. "You both must be tired after your journey. Please, won't you come in and have some tea?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and disappeared into the house.

Cid dropped his head and swore quietly under his breath. "Nothin's changed, nothin," he grit out. He looked up as Yuffie coughed in embarrassment and gently extracted the reins from his overly-tight grip.

"I think I'll go stable the chocobos," she offered diplomatically. "Cid, are you…" Yuffie trailed off uncertainly, then sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. I'll see you inside." She led their mounts towards the back yard, quickly disappearing around the corner of the house.

Cid rubbed a hand over his face and slowly approached the open door. He paused just outside, listening to the familiar sounds of Shera moving around the kitchen drifting over him. "Aw, hell," he mumbled to himself, and squaring his shoulders he stepped inside to meet her.

_**AN:** An uchikake is a wedding kimono. Well, guys, the story is slowly drawing to a conclusion; I think there's maybe one more chapter left to write. I don't think it's going to make my 100-review goal, but I can't say I'm disappointed in any case. In fact I think it's safe to say I'm totally shocked that so many of you were kind enough to leave a review for this completely random pairing, and even more surprised that just about none of them were bad. You guys have been great, thank you so much! I hope the next chapter won't let you down. (-: _


	15. Old Love, New Love

**Chapter 15: Old Love, New Love**

_Old love, old love, how can I be true? Shall I be faithless to myself or to you?_

Cid found her standing at the counter, nervously gathering place settings and tea cups on a small tray. She had set out the most ornamental tea pot they owned, and a small silver tea egg was resting beside it. Shera was pulling out the full stops for the afternoon tea this time, and he knew it meant she was upset. She heard him come in, but didn't slow down or acknowledge his presence. He let her continue to work for a bit longer; it was a familiar, domestic scene to him, one he hadn't realized was so empty. Or perhaps he had; only now, he couldn't tolerate the emptiness. Soon she finished her preparations and was standing in front of the kettle, waiting for the water to boil. Normally Shera would have left the kitchen to set the table in the dining room by then, but that would have required facing him. It was an unexpected break in her usual pattern.

"Shera. Turn around."

Her shoulders quivered briefly, but after a moment, she spun towards him, tucking her hands into the apron behind her back. There was a pleasant smile on her face; the tense way that she held herself up was the only hint of her true feelings. "How has Yuffie been doing? I was worried about you two. I read that there was an accident in the papers."

"It _was_ an accident," Cid said quickly. "We weren't… lookin' for trouble." He shifted uncomfortably when Shera met his stare.

"… then it's lucky that no one was hurt," Shera answered too softly. Her gaze grew hard. "Well, I hope you had a good time while you were away." He had to look away first, and when he did, he heard her sigh. "The tea will be ready soon," she said, turning to pick up the tray.

"Shera, don't do this to me again," Cid ground out.

The teacups rattled noisily on the tray as her hands shook, and Shera quickly put it down on the counter and sagged forward so much that she was nearly bent in half. She shuddered, then glanced over her shoulder and pinned Cid down under a direct, piercing stare. "I'm not the one who's _done_ anything," she whispered. Another shaky breath, and then she was standing straight again, facing away from him and reaching for the tray as if nothing had happened.

Cid was behind her instantly, knocking the tray out of her hands and sending the cups rolling across the countertop. He grabbed her by the arms and forced her to turn around, bringing his face in close and glaring at her furiously. "Ain't that always the goddamn problem?" he shouted, shaking her roughly. "Nothin! That's all you ever do around here!" She was tense and frightened, but for once she didn't avert her gaze; he wouldn't let her, not this time. He searched her for an answer, the woman that he once loved, that he still loved, but all he could see was the wounded, silent reply reflected in her eyes. _How could you?_

The tea kettle began to whistle behind them, but he didn't let her go. They remained there, Shera trapped in Cid's arms as they locked in a silent battle of wills. The water boiled over; Shera flinched when the cap of the kettle rocketed off the stove violently and nicked the ceiling, showering them with tiny white flakes of plaster. Cid ignored it.

"What do you want, Shera?" he asked her finally.

Tears began to form in Shera's eyes and she struggled against him. "Let me go, you… you beast," she moaned, her hands forming into fists and striking at his chest. "Nine years… _nine years_ of my life that I gave you! Nine years that you _never even once_ thought of me, and now you have the nerve to tell me I've done nothing for you? You… damn… heartless… _bastard!_" she shrieked. "I should kill you!"

For a moment Cid was shocked speechless; here it was, finally, what he had been reaching for all this time; Shera, acting like a living and breathing woman in front of him, not just a frozen statue. Only her words did more than just sting. Cid's face dropped into a dark, dangerous scowl. "You shut the fuck up, woman!" he roared, shaking her again violently. "Never even once…? Holy shit! I nearly lost my fuckin' mind tryin' to make you happy!" His hands tightened around her and his mouth pulled into an ugly frown. "Here I was, dancin' around on my goddamn toes tryin' to make you feel safe! Christ, I'm the one that should be slappin' you!"

Shera's violent struggles stilled quickly, and she looked up at him with her tear-stained face, her lips quivering. "Go ahead and hit me then," she spat out. "It would hurt less!"

Cid released her quickly, choking and backing away from her, breathing unsteadily. "Shit…" he mumbled, turning into the cupboard and knocking his forehead into it slowly. "Shit."

Shera turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself and letting out a shaky sob. Silence settled between them, punctuated by the gentle hiss of the boiling water. After a moment, the quiet click of the stove being shut off made Cid twist around to face her. She was wiping the tears away from her face with one unsteady hand while carefully reassembling the tea tray with the other.

"You should tell her to come inside before her tea gets cold," she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

Cid stepped towards her shamefully. He had come close to striking her, closer than ever before, and it was as though all of his fears, all of the dark, ugly scars that he thought she once saw in him had been justified. He felt like a monster. "I'm sorry," he told her unsteadily.

Shera let out a dry half-laugh, half-hiccup and wiped at her face again. "The only thing I ever wanted was to make you happy," she whispered.

She looked up at him, her eyes still bright with unshed tears, and Cid moved to her side, wrapping his arms around her. He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead against hers, shaking his head. "I never wanted to hurt you, ever," he managed to say. He felt her ease against him; it was the second time he had ever felt her relax in his arms, accepting his words and his touches without her usual hesitation. The only other time Shera had let him come so close was when they both thought she was going to die, trapped underneath the damaged oxygen tanks in his spaceship.

_What about your promises?_ he asked himself. Promises made to Shera, promises made to Yuffie. They had both given up almost everything for him; there was no way to undo the past now. He couldn't turn back time and try again. Yet, as he held Shera against him, for everything that had happed in the space of three days he still wanted to. He wished he could do anything to take away the years of wounds they had inflicted upon each other. He felt Shera's arms wrapping around his waist, and Cid did the only thing he still could; he leaned forward and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, almost painfully tender, filled with a love that his words and actions had never been able to adequately express. A gentle, hope-filled touching of lips that had waited nine years to be released; only, even as he felt her responding, he knew it had waited nine years too long.

She drew pulled away from him first and the brief moment of clarity melted away; he almost felt the pain physically as she withdrew, leaving him holding the tightly-shut shell of the woman that he was much more accustomed to. Her hands remained around his waist, and her head dropped against his neck, but she felt cold and unfamiliar in his arms. He released her, but she didn't move away from him.

"Is this what you want?" Cid asked. He couldn't see her face; she hadn't lifted her head and she was so much taller than Yuffie that he couldn't even focus on the crown of her hair. "To stay here even though you know I can't do this anymore?"

"If it would make you happy," Shera murmured softly, turning to kiss his neck.

The anger was slowly returning, now, and he took hold of her arms once again, this time to firmly push her away. "You think that's what would make me fuckin' happy?" he asked. "You think havin' Yuffie stay here as some kinda live-in mistress will just make everythin' okay between us? You make the damn tea, I swear at you, an' every time I get a little too frustrated I go runnin' to her for a quick fuck?" he growled. His anger spiked when Shera stared back at him, her face schooled into its maddeningly calm expression, and seemed to seriously consider it as an option.

"_A woman can forgive a lot of things if she's in love." _Yuffie's absent comment came back to him in full force then; he realized at the same time that he didn't want Shera's forgiveness. He would have rather dealt with her open anger; it would have meant she, too, was capable of moving forward. He suddenly knew how Cloud had felt when Yuffie was so hopelessly pursing him. Shera wouldn't leave, not unless he made her. And the only way he could see to force her was by hurting her even more than he already had. The only problem was that he wasn't Cloud.

"Goddamn it, Shera!" he yelled, shaking his head as he stepped away from her. "If I told you to set yourself on fire, you'd ask me for the fuckin' matches!" Shera reached for him, her mouth opening, but he cut her off with a rough sweep of his arm. "No! No more goddamn games!"

Shera stopped, though her brows drew together slightly. "I never thought it was a game," she told him earnestly.

Cid stared at her and then shook his head with a bitter laugh. "I need a drink," he swore, stomping out of the kitchen and towards the front door. He felt Shera following him, stopping in the middle of the room and watching as he pulled it open.

"Should I leave the door unlocked?" she asked him quietly, and he stiffened. Then he stepped out quickly and slammed the door behind him without bothering to answer her. Cid's feet began to carry him in the familiar direction of the local bar, his thoughts churning noisily in his head. He only made it a few paces away from the house, however, before he stopped abruptly and let out a loud curse.

"Yuffie," he groaned, realizing that she hadn't returned from the stables. He had no idea what Shera would say to her when she entered the house; he hadn't managed to resolve anything with the other woman, though, and his conscience wouldn't let the little ninja face her alone no matter how he felt.

He skirted the outside of his house, opting to enter the backyard through the wire gate. When he arrived at the stables, he saw both chocobos resting comfortably in their pens, properly fed and groomed. Yuffie's small bundle of belongings was sitting in the middle of the stable in a neat pile; the girl herself, however, was nowhere to be found. He stepped back out into the yard and looked around; there was still no sign of her, and the sun was beginning to set. "Fuckin' timing," he groaned to himself as he made his way towards the back door of the house and opened it. He froze briefly when Shera rushed into the room to see who had entered, but soon recovered and ignored her questioning expression. "Did Yuffie come in?" he asked her curtly. Shera shook her head, and he backed away and slammed the door before she could give him a verbal reply.

"Shit, Yu… where'd you run off to now?" he mumbled to himself, squinting at the sky. There was a still a half-hour of light left, so he set off for the main square of the town at a brisk walk, heading towards the small outfitter's building they had passed on the way in.

Forty-five minutes later, Cid found himself stepping into the local bar despite his best intentions, ordering a shot of strong liqueur before glancing around the room carefully. Yuffie was still nowhere to be seen; he was sure he had checked every shop in the area, and even a few of his curious neighbours' yards to be safe. The bar was his last far-fetched attempt; as he expected, however, she was not inside.

"Back from your vacation already, Captain?" the bartender greeted him jovially as he placed the small glass before Cid with a wide grin. "And you brought that Kisaragi girl with you! Any of your other friends stopping by?" he asked.

"Naw," Cid said distractedly, tossing back the whiskey quickly and sliding the glass across the bar. "Put it on my tab," he grumbled, turning to leave.

"Whoa, now that's a short visit today!" the bartender replied, picking up the glass and using it to give a tiny salute in Cid's direction. "Good to see things are finally working out for you at home." Cid clenched his teeth and ignored the other man. "Hey," the bartender called out before Cid could leave. "How long will that other girl be staying with us?"

Cid stopped, his hand on the door, and considered. "Don't know," he answered gruffly. "For a real long time I hope." He stepped outside before he could field any more questions from the curious barkeep. The street was dark and nearly deserted; Rocket Town was too small of a community to be bothered with erecting artificial lights. Still, he had no trouble finding his way down the dusky road, simply following the rectangles of bright yellow light that splashed onto the street through the windows of the houses. _Where the hell is she?_ he wondered to himself. His feet slowed when he neared his own house; the same cheerful yellow light was pouring out of the windows there, just as it was everywhere else. He sighed to himself; he didn't want to return to that light yet anyway whether he found the little ninja or not. He turned away and approached his favourite retreat, the old rocket scaffolding, leaning against it and dropping his head back to look into the sky. His brow furrowed and he squinted, and then with a grin he pushed away. "I should've guessed," he said loudly.

Yuffie looked down at him through her knees, which were draped over the edge of the metal platform. She had wound herself around the railing, and was resting her chin on forearms. "Hey Cid," she called back with a faint smile.

He stared at her for a few more moments, but she refused to move or even look at him. With a sigh he looked down and shook his head. "Fine, if you ain't comin' down, then I can come up," he said, preparing to scale the structure. He stopped at the sound of Yuffie's quick yell.

"No!" she cried out. Then, biting her lip, she gave him a tiny smile. "I mean, you don't have to bother," she added in a small voice. "I think I wanna be alone right now."

Cid let go of the scaffolding slowly, a slow frown crossing his face. "You made yourself scarce all day, and now you're bein' too quiet. Care to tell me what's goin' on?"

A brief flash of _something_ crossed Yuffie's face and she opened her mouth to reply before snapping it shut quickly. Her legs kicked out impatiently, thudding loudly against the metal, and then she stilled and took a deep breath. "I went inside the house," she told him.

"I just spent all that fuckin' time lookin' for you in town an' you mean to say you were in the house?" Cid answered sourly. The scowl dropped from his face when he saw Yuffie shake her head.

"… I meant earlier," she clarified. Then she covered her mouth with her hands and leaned back, giggling. The sound was a little too loud and high pitched, and Cid stared at her nervously. She threw herself forward suddenly, making his heart leap into his throat, and caught herself on the outstretched of the bar of the railing at the last moment. She hung there precariously, twisting and leaning over on her stomach and letting her arms and legs dangle loosely as she stared into his face with an intent, murderous look. "I haven't decided whether I'm gonna kick your ass before I curl up and die, or just come back to haunt you as a ghost," she yelled. Then with a quick reverse of the motion, she pushed herself backwards and re-settled onto her seat on the low platform.

When the raw wave of panic at her stunt had subsided, Cid looked at his boots and let out a low series of curses. "You saw us," he said finally.

Yuffie hid her face in her hands again and laughed. "Saw you?" she said. "I didn't just _see_ you! I heard you, I tasted you, I felt you kissing her!" She shuddered violently, and Cid clutched the bars of the scaffolding and leaned his head against it.

"Yu… don't cry," he said when he heard her draw in a loud, shaky breath.

"I'm not crying!" she yelled at him, even though he could clearly see the two tracks of moisture shining on her cheeks in the moonlight. "Why would I cry over an idiot like you?" she choked out, turning her face up to the sky. "B-besides, I knew this would happen," she continued, leaning back when her choking gasps subsided. "I always knew you loved her more than me. It just hurts a little because I didn't think it would look so… so right," she finished brokenly.

Cid stared at the soles of her boots; it was practically the only thing he could see of her when she wasn't leaning forward. "You're the one who taught me that looks ain't everything," he finally said.

The metal creaked slightly, and Yuffie's boots disappeared from his sight. Then he heard a whoosh and a thump, and when he turned, she was crouched into a tight ball on the ground a few feet in front of him. She sat back on her heels in an impossibly uncomfortable-looking squat and wrapped her arms around her knees, glaring at him the entire time. "I thought I was prepared for this, but guess what?" she told him bitterly. "Turns out I'm not. I'm still not Aeris and you're not Cloud and if you don't tell me what's going on I'm gonna be out of here before the sun rises."

Cid crouched down on the ground, sighing as he stretched his legs out before him and leaned his back against the scaffold. He let out a long breath and shook his head at Yuffie. "What you saw was me sayin' my goodbyes," he told her wearily. "I don't think she understood that though."

Yuffie only glared at him even more fiercely. "Giving her a kiss like that as a _goodbye?_ No shit, Cid!"

Cid sighed and gestured at her. "Will you just come over here, Yu?" he asked her.

"Why should I?" she asked softly.

"Because I haven't lied to you about this before, and I ain't plannin' to start now."

Yuffie dropped her head and laughed softly. "Oh gawd… I'm such a sucker for pain," she moaned even as she crawled towards Cid and settled more comfortably at his side. She jumped slightly when she felt his arm descending around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest, but she didn't fight him.

"I'm a damn fool sometimes," he muttered, burying his face in her hair. "That don't mean I love you any less than I did before," he mumbled, drawing her close and brushing his lips over the top of her hair. "Yeah, it's true I still love her; don't think I'll ever be able to stop doin' that completely. But I already chose you, an' I want you to stay here." He paused and drew in a deep breath, steeling himself. "I won't hold you down if you can't live with that." His arms tightened convulsively around her as he spoke, but he forced them to relax and continued. "There just ain't anything left in me for Shera anymore, whether you stick around or not."

Yuffie turned her head into his shirt and breathed in deeply, basking in Cid's scent. She closed her eyes and searched desperately for a shred of calm against the stormy turmoil of her emotions. _I don't want to give this up,_ she thought stubbornly. _But I want him to love me, and only me!_ She took a deep, cleansing breath before speaking. "… but you still care. You care about what Shera thinks."

"Yeah," he said. "I still want what's best for her, too. Just… took me a real long time to figure out the best thing for her ain't me." He opened his eyes and looked up, and wasn't particularly surprised to see Shera watching them. He met her silent gaze without flinching and kept his arm firmly wrapped around Yuffie.

Shera stepped out of the shadows and walked towards them, finally breaking her gaze away from Cid to look at Yuffie, who was still nestled in his arms. "Hello," she said softly.

Yuffie tensed and shot out of Cid's embrace, turning to face the older woman with a mortified expression. "S-shera!" she managed to squeak.

"Yuffie? May I call you that?" she asked quietly, smiling slightly when Yuffie gave her a nervous nod. "I'd like to speak to you alone." She turned her eyes back towards Cid and pressed her lips together. "I think I deserve that much."

"Why're you out here?" he asked as he reluctantly released Yuffie and rose to his feet.

"I knew I'd find you here eventually." Shera smiled faintly, crossing her arms. "You always come to this place to think whenever you have a problem," she added. "Don't tell me you're surprised to find that I know your habits after all these years."

Cid stared at Shera, then shook his head slowly. "Naw… just surprised you never bothered to join me 'till now." He gave her a hard look, and this time she was the one to drop her eyes guiltily. "Yu?" he asked, still glaring at Shera.

"It's fine," she answered faintly, drawing her knees into her chest.

He finally looked away from Shera to give Yuffie a brief nod. "I'll be in the house," he said, moving away from the two women.

Shera watched him leave, waiting until she heard the sound of the door closing behind him before facing Yuffie. She studied the young girl quietly, and then took a small breath. "So," she began.

Yuffie fidgeted uneasily under Shera's scrutiny. Nervous butterflies were threatening to flutter out of her stomach and spill out from her mouth in the form of meaningless chatter, so she bit her tongue sharply and tried to hold herself still. She nearly jumped to her feet when Shera broke the silence again.

"You're that girl from Wutai, aren't you? I hadn't realized you were so… young," Shera said softly, crouching onto her knees beside Yuffie. "He's not forcing you to into this, is he?"

That brought Yuffie out of her catatonic shock. She managed to draw her face into a scowl and stared at Shera angrily. "I'm not _that_ young, and he's not forcing me to do anything," she replied hotly. Then she blushed and looked away; it was hard to remain angry at someone whose boyfriend she had just stolen. Shera, however, didn't seem to react to her sharp tone, simply nodding and smiling slightly at her. _Is this what Cid meant?_ she thought uncomfortably, suddenly uneasy because of the woman's apparent equilibrium. _Nobody's that put together!_ Unable to contain herself any longer, she opened her mouth and blurted out the question that was burning in her mind. "Why are you so calm, anyway? If I were you, I'd be pulling hair and screaming already!"

Shera laughed lightly at Yuffie's declaration and shook her head. "I can see why he's attracted to you. You're a lot like him." She leaned back against the scaffolding and stared into the sky. "You know they say opposites attract. That's not really true," she added with a wry smile. "If it were, you wouldn't be here now would you?"

Yuffie flinched and remained silent.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Shera said quickly, and Yuffie flinched again.

Silence settled between them, both women suddenly afraid to speak.

"Why?" the little ninja finally asked, looking up at Shera. "Why the heck are you sorry? I thought that was supposed to be my line."

Shera shook her head and looked away. "I… I don't think I could explain it to you. We're just not the same kind of people. The only thing we have in common is loving that hard-headed man," she said wistfully, looking back towards the house.

Yuffie swallowed heavily. "So you do still love him," she echoed miserably.

Shera nodded. Then, unexpectedly, she began to speak in her quiet, lilting voice. "Cid… is a rough man. He's very passionate about everything in his life. I've always been the shy one," she explained hesitantly. "When I first met him, he took my breath away. We were both working on the space program and I thought we shared the same goals. I'm an engineer at heart, you see. My dreams were about numbers and calculations and turning theories into reality. Cid… he just wanted to grab things head first no matter what the cost. I thought it was exciting. I didn't realize until later that it wasn't really getting into space that was important to him." She sighed softly. "I think I'd already started to fall in love with him even then. I… I suppose he noticed, but he scared me a little. And then the accident happened…" She trailed off, shivering.

"That thing with the spaceship?" Yuffie prodded curiously.

Shera caught her breath and smiled, nodding faintly at the ninja. "I'd gotten so used to loving him from a distance... and then it wasn't my choice anymore. He was just so _angry _all the time I thought… I thought that living with him, having him as my own would make me happy, that I could make it all up to him somehow. That… maybe, he'd teach me how to live with some of his passion and I'd manage to settle him down." She laughed faintly, wiping at her moist eyes. "Instead I just became more frightened of him. Our relationship… it was nothing like I expected it to be. I was always so afraid of reaching out for more, afraid that he'd end up hurting me somehow if I did." Her tone turned bitter, and she looked away from Yuffie. "It seems none of that really mattered in the end."

Yuffie chewed on her lip and regarded the silently weeping woman before her thoughtfully. "Why are you telling me all this anyway?" she finally asked. "I mean… I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you, but… Cid doesn't scare me at all. I just don't see what you're frightened of! If you're trying to warn me off--" She cut off her words in surprise as Shera reached for her hand and gripped it tightly.

"I'm afraid you don't understand," Shera said. Then she laughed again and shook her head. "_I'm_ the one who was always afraid of Cid. That's why I kept him at a distance. Cid needs someone who isn't afraid of getting burned by staying close to him. He needs someone just like himself." She sighed and looked away. "Of course I still love him! I only want to make him happy," she whispered. "But I can't give him what he needs."

Yuffie looked uncomfortably at their conjoined hands. "I still don't understand you," she said finally. "He loves you, you love him, but you're ready to fork him over to me like he's some kinda used tea bag!" Yuffie kicked herself silently; the easy thing to do would be to just remain quiet and let the older woman talk herself out. She couldn't keep the question inside, though; curiosity, jealousy and most of all a vague sense of injustice on Cid's behalf made her speak up. "Just… _why?_"

Shera's grip on her hand suddenly became tight, crushing into her fingers. "Do you love him?" she whispered angrily, ignoring Yuffie's hiss of pain.

"Oww! Yes! Yes, I do love him alright! Leggo!" She extracted her hand from Shera's grip as soon as the other woman loosened her fingers and blew on it hastily. "Geez, I know I probably deserved that, but it hurt!" she grumbled.

Shera smiled at Yuffie faintly. "That's the price you have to pay for loving someone. You'll end up getting hurt no matter how you try to avoid it. If he somehow happens to makes you happy anyway, then consider yourself one of the lucky ones."

Yuffie slowly shook out her hand, watching the other woman carefully. She looked old and tired in the moonlight, as though living with Cid had sucked the energy out of her body. She shivered and looked away, the faint stirring of doubt clouding her mind. _I thought I gave up everything for him already… but it still seems like Shera's lost so much more._ She thought of Wutai and Godo and even of Cloud. And then she knew why the woman before her felt so empty. _ I'd never give up my pride. That's why he'll never be able to love you completely. Strange,_ she thought to herself with a sad smile. _I wanted this victory but now that I have it, it tastes so bitter._ "I knew that already," she finally replied.

"Really?" Shera answered distantly. "I'm still just discovering it myself."

Yuffie nodded and studied the ground. "So what are you gonna do?" she asked carefully.

Shera sighed and stood up, dusting the gravel off of her pants. "There's nothing I can do. He's made his choice, and you've made yours. I suppose I'll start packing. The inn should still be open right now, and I'll have plenty of time to sort out the rest of my belongings later."

Yuffie instantly felt guilty, springing to her feet and waving her hands at Shera. "Oh, hey, it's not like you have to go right this minute!" she yelled, embarrassed.

"No, I think I do," Shera answered with a wane smile, sharply reminding Yuffie that while the night hadn't actually turned them into enemies, they were certainly far from being friends. "You should know that I'm not going to leave Rocket Town. This is my home too, not just his. And..." She hesitated, looking uncertain, and twisted her hands together. Then, as if coming to a decision, she nodded to herself and squared her shoulders. "If I should ever see you putting your own happiness above his, I'll be here. Watching, waiting and ready to fill whatever hole you leave in his life if you're careless."

Her statement surprised Yuffie, who squinted at the older woman thoughtfully. _Maybe it's not so bad that she's leaving him after all,_ she allowed herself to think. _Even if she doesn't know it herself yet._ "Hmm," she replied, planting her hands on her hips and lifting her chin confidently. "I don't think you'll have worry about him too much. You should probably spend a little time worrying about yourself instead."

Shera regarded Yuffie in surprise, shocked by her brazen challenge. She let her eyes flicker over her the ninja from head to toe. A miniscule flash of envy crossed her face, and then she slumped wearily in defeat. "So different…" she murmured.

Yuffie dropped her hands and shook her head slightly. _Boy, she's gonna take a lot of work to fix,_ she groaned to herself. Then she stopped and balked. _Me? Fix Shera? Why the heck do I wanna help fix up the only competition I have?_ The answer became self-evident as she watched Shera shake herself out of her stupor and smile politely.

"Why don't you come inside, I'm sure there's still some tea in the pot. It's my own special blend, Cid's favourite."

_Because despite it all, he still loves her. And I love him_. It was a humbling realization; that she never would be able to replace Shera in Cid's heart, but at the same time one that made the iron bands around her chest loosen slightly. _I told him I didn't want to do that. Maybe I don't need to. Cid will never be able to replace my love for Wutai, either, but I'm still here. _Yuffie realized Shera was still waiting for her to follow and nodded quietly. They made their way together towards the door of the back porch, but she lingered outside as Shera pushed it open. _Once I go in, there's no going back anymore._ Noticing her hesitation, the other woman turned to regard her curiously. "Are you sure you don't mind?" Yuffie asked, feeling foolish.

"Of course I mind," Shera answered with a pained smile. "But," she added softly, studying the young girl before her, "I think that you belong here now." She put a gentle hand on Yuffie's shoulder and shepherded her into the room.

Cid looked up from the table as they entered, where he had been reclining with his feet propped up and a mug of tea in his hands. His eyes flickered from Yuffie to Shera, uneasy and questioning.

On seeing him, Yuffie immediately widened her eyes and yelled at the top of her lungs. "OH MY GAWD! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, CID HIGHWIND!"

"Shit!" Cid yelled, springing to his feet and nearly spilling the tea over his shirt in the process. "What the hell'd you say to her, Shera?"

Yuffie stomped over to him and shoved him forcefully back into the chair he had been sitting on, plucking the mug out of his numb fingers and slamming it onto the table. "_She_ didn't have to _say_ anything! **_I_** can't believe you just put your feet on the dining room table like that!" she said in disgust, looking at the grimy black streak his boots had left behind. "Gawd that's gross! We still have to eat off of this thing you know!"

"… the hell?" Cid mumbled, staring at her in confusion, too shocked to even duck when her hand came up to smack him across the back of the head. "Ow! Damn it, Yuffie!" he yelled. A soft, unfamiliar sound caught his attention, and he looked over Yuffie's shoulder. Shera was standing there, her eyes wide and her hands over her mouth. Her shoulders shook, and with a start he realized she was laughing. That rendered him completely speechless. _That's the first time I ever heard her laugh,_ he thought suddenly.

"I always wanted to do that, but I never had the nerve…" Shera admitted to Yuffie quietly.

"Well, maybe one of these days you can stop by and I'll give you lessons on speaking your mind!" the ninja replied cheerfully. She cracked an eye open and winked at the older woman.

"… maybe one day," Shera answered hesitantly, the smile lingering on her face. "But not today. Please excuse me… I need to gather a few things before I go." She turned and made her way quickly down the hall, slipping into her room and closing the door with a quiet click.

Cid turned back to Yuffie with a flabbergasted look on his face. "She's leavin' that easy? And what the fuck is goin' on between you two?" he asked.

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Yuffie replied with a smirk, throwing her arms around his neck and leaning into him. "You're the one who's been living with her all this time you know!"

"Yu…" Cid warned, glaring at her as he tried to remove her arms. He stopped when she shook her head, her playful smile fading out into a more solemn expression.

"You don't have to understand, Cid. I'm not going to tell you anyway," she said. "Just kiss me please."

"But Shera's still in the damn house," he told her uncomfortably, his eyes straying back up the hall. He brought them down with a snap as Yuffie grabbed his chin none-too-gently and forced him to look at her.

"I know. That's why." Then she leaned up and pressed her lips against his, kissing him with an unexpected tenderness. _I'll heal her, but only for you,_ she thought. _Only if you love **me** enough._ She trapped him under her kiss until she felt him relax, then continued to kiss him until she felt his arms slowly wrap around her waist. And then she kissed him some more for good measure. _Because **I'm** here now, and no matter what happens, I won't let you ever forget me,_ she promised herself firmly. When they drew apart, she leaned her head against him and let out a long breath. "It doesn't always have to hurt," she murmured to herself softly.

"You say somethin'?" Cid asked her, carefully cupping her face between his hands and lifting her head.

Yuffie smiled and shook her head. "Just wondering what you're thinking right now," she replied with a tiny smile.

"Huh," he grunted, bending down to place a gentle kiss against her cheek. "Just that maybe some dreams are still worth chasin' down after all."

_I felt my lover look at her and then turn suddenly to me –  
His eyes were magic to defy the woman I shall never be._

**_- fin -_**

_**AN:** Well, looks like the end is here after all. –sigh- First things first- both quotes in this chapter came from the poetry of Sara Teasdale. I know, it's not an astoundingly conclusive ending for anything, but those are the kind of endings that I like the best, the ones that don't answer all those burning questions so easily. _

_I'm not sure if I'm going to put out a small epilogue or not; as of yet I don't have any ideas, and the plot bunny for the story has officially died and gone to heaven, having accomplished its 15-chapter mission of evil. I had a lot of fun writing this and learned quite a bit along the way; mostly that yes, it is possible to write an interesting and lively romance well after the first nervous confession of love. Also that it's possible to use sex as a plot device rather than just a gratuitous decoration. Though I guess there was plenty of gratuitous too in the end here. (-;_

_To all of the readers, especially those who reviewed, thank you so much for keeping an open mind and sticking through with this strange little story to the end. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and wish you all the best of luck on your own projects. Don't be afraid to take risks, either… maybe they'll end up pleasantly surprising you, too!_


	16. Ever Afters

**EPILOGUE: Ever Afters**

"Mmm…" Yuffie grunted, burying her face into the mound of warm blankets at her side. "Stop moving," she mumbled irritably, throwing a possessive arm over the cause of the disturbance that had roused her from her sleep.

"Yu, it's late," Cid grumbled, though he kept his eyes closed. Truth be told, he wasn't in the mood to rise from bed either, though for entirely different reasons from his groggy wife. She had unwittingly thrown her leg across him along with the arm, and it was a much more effective distraction than the warm bed. _Too damn distracting,_ he groaned, moving to push her off. "Yu, I gotta get to work today," he tried again.

"Muh moo mon," was her muffled reply. Fortunately, two years of living together had taught Cid the fine art of deciphering Yuffie's early morning speech patterns.

Cid sighed and rolled his eyes. _Wonder when I got so fuckin' patient,_ he thought with annoyance. Still, he couldn't bring himself to just toss her out of the bed, so he tried again. "Yu, Shera's gonna be waitin'."

This finally managed to rouse Yuffie, but not enough to displace her arms. Instead, she just drew him tighter and glared at him. "No, she's not. I saw her at the bar again last night," she grumbled. "I bet she's not even going to come in today."

Cid smirked and Yuffie dropped her head back onto his shoulder. "She ain't a lazy git like you," he reminded her, and hissed when her fingers dug into his skin and pinched him in response. The teasing smile dropped and a small frown came over his face. "At the bar, huh? She… ain't still tryin' to find all her answers in a bottle, is she?" Even after two years of living with Yuffie, Cid still felt responsible for everything that happened to Shera. He had blamed himself when Shera started drinking. He also knew Yuffie was still slightly jealous of his concern for the other woman; it was the reason he had refused to interfere, despite his concern. Surprisingly, however, Yuffie was the one who had first come up with the idea for him to offer Shera a job maintaining the airship.

"_Hey! It's makes perfect sense. Shera needs something to keep herself busy, and she's good at it,"_ the little ninja had said. When he had protested, she only smiled and grew stern in her response. _"You know I love you. So I think it's in my best interest if I get her to make sure that you always come back home safely. So just do it for me already!"_ He couldn't argue with that logic, and it had left him feeling relieved, if a bit uncomfortable at having Shera work with them in such close quarters on a regular basis.

"Relax," Yuffie said, pulling Cid into her embrace, and his train of thought dissolved into distracted ribbons of awareness as she wrapped herself around him. "She wasn't drinking this time. She was talking to the barkeep again. Maybe he finally asked her out," she said with a small grin.

"…him and Shera? He's showin' a fuckin' interest?" Cid said in disbelief, sitting up. Or trying to; Yuffie brought him down with an interesting and mildly painful twist of her legs.

"Jealous?" she laughed. "Well too bad, so am I, and I say you leave them alone. It's about time Shera got some, since she's not about to be getting ANYTHING from you."

Cid grumbled in annoyance; Yuffie was still able to read him like transparent water sometimes. Though, it was hard to remain irritated when she was twisting around him so distractingly. "How's a man supposed to relax under this kind of pressure?" he murmured to her, letting his hands drift slowly down her back.

"Pressure? What pressure?" Yuffie asked innocently as she tilted her hips slightly. A smile crossed her face when she felt him respond with a low groan.

"You know what you're fuckin' doin', woman," he answered, his eyes glinting. Then he leaned forward to give her a heady kiss. Yuffie responded eagerly; she had always worried in the back of her mind that Cid would eventually wake up and see her for what she was; gangly, small-chested and locked in a permanent competition for 'best body-double of a teenaged boy.' Two years hadn't done anything to cool Cid's desire, however; he seemed to delight in finding unorthodox ways to catch her off guard. In fact, she could count on her hand the number of times they had actually done anything in the bed; his argument usually following along the lines of _"the bed's for fuckin' sleep, and I ain't interested in sleepin' right now."_ An argument which he seemed wholly in favour of forgetting as hungry lips and questing fingers tugged at her pyjamas.

A loud knock at the door caused Cid to wrench his lips off of Yuffie with a low growl. "Who the fuck—" he began, then groaned again as Yuffie began to laugh.

"Oh! Oh my! Cid? Yuffie? Are you guys in there? I'm sorry I'm so late!" Panic was evident in Shera's shout as she pounded on their back door loudly. "Please don't fire me!" she called again, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears. It was a big change from the Shera of two years ago; she allowed herself to express her emotions more freely, thanks to Yuffie's coaching. Much to the ninja's disappointment, however, Shera was still the same timid, submissive woman that she had been before.

"This is what you get for being such a hard ass at work," Yuffie said with a smirk, releasing Cid from her grip and extracting herself from the warm tangle of blankets.

"I thought you wanted me to stay in bed," Cid grumbled, reaching out to pinch Yuffie's butt and earning a slap on the offending hand in response.

"That poor woman actually thinks you're going to fire her!" Yuffie scolded. She donned her bathrobe quickly and shoved open the curtain and the window and leaned out. "Hey, Shera!" she yelled, giving the worried woman a small wave. "You can stop panicking, Cid hasn't even gotten his lazy butt out of bed yet!"

"Oh," Shera said, turning away from the door and giving Yuffie a flustered smile. She coughed nervously and smoothed out her hair. "I'm sorry to have woken you up like that, then…"

Yuffie's grin stretched out into a mischievous smirk. "Hey… isn't that you-know-who's shirt?" she asked in a sing-song voice. "Caught with your pants down this morning, aren't ya? Or was that him?" she teased, laughing as Shera turned beet red.

"That's-- that's—"

"Shera got luuuucky…" Yuffie sang loudly, planting her elbows on the windowsill with an evil grin.

"That's none of your business!" Shera wailed angrily, still blushing all the way to the roots of her hair. "Ohh— just tell Cid I'll be with the Highwind, those new parts came in yesterday!" she added with an exasperated sigh, turning around and stomping off towards the plains.

"Hee hee," Yuffie grinned as she tucked herself back inside of the bedroom and shut the window. She jumped when she felt Cid standing behind her, glaring outside at Shera's retreating form.

"She fuckin' slept with him already!" he yelled.

"About time," Yuffie replied with a grin.

"I'll fuckin' kill him if he hurts her," Cid replied, cracking his knuckles.

Yuffie elbowed him sharply in the gut and then smiled sweetly. "You! Stay out of her business, that's my job!" she reminded the blonde severely. "Besides, didn't you see that?" she added more gently, a smile touching the corner of her lips. "She finally yelled back at me today."

The fierce expression on Cid's face fell away slowly, though he still didn't look happy. "Yeah… I know. It's good for her and all that shit. Just don't ask me to start throwin' a fuckin' party about it."

"Of course, parties are my job too," Yuffie replied smartly, raising herself on her toes and planting a kiss on his nose. "Now go get changed before you get even later, slacker."

"Huh," Cid grunted, running a hand through her hair briefly. "Ain't goin' nowhere till I practice," he replied, bending down to give her a deep kiss. "Gotta work off some of that energy from all your goddamn teasin'," he grumbled.

Yuffie laughed and watched him pull on his pants, then snatch the Venus Gospel from the corner of their messy room. Housekeeping wasn't something that either of them were particularly fond of, though Yuffie had set down an iron-clad rule that no shoes were to be worn in the house. She had claimed it was because of Cid's propensity to prop his feet up on any available table-like surface in the household; more importantly, however, it made her feel as though she was keeping a little piece of Wutai alive in their home. That, and also with their shared fondness for sparring.

"No," Cid said as he saw Yuffie reaching to take down her Conformer from the wall.

"But Cid—" she whined, sulking when she saw him give her his no-nonsense glare.

"I said no babe," he repeated, slinging the lance over his shoulder and making his way out of the room. "I'm doin' it alone today."

"Spoilsport," Yuffie replied, sticking her tongue out. She furtively slipped a few of her smaller throwing knives into the sleeves of the voluminous bathrobe as she followed him to the living room. They broke apart there; Cid leaving for the backyard, while she made her way to the kitchen and prepared some coffee. By the time Yuffie was finished and had filled a mug with the steaming black liquid, Cid was already well underway. She shut the door behind her and settled on the stairs of the porch, watching him practice in the dusty circle of the yard.

_Sweep, cut, stab._ It was one of his more complicated spear katas; Yuffie smirked inwardly as she watched him dance. "I must've been more distracting than I thought," she murmured to herself with a smug sense of satisfaction. It faded away into a more dreamy satisfaction, watching him move. Two years of practice and a lack of cigarettes had paid off in more ways than she could count; Cid was faster than ever, moving with an ease that most men half his age never even achieved. She found herself staring appreciatively at his shirtless chest as his muscles flexed and strained, and carefully put the mug of coffee aside.

"Hey, sexy!" Yuffie called out, the only warning she gave him. Then she flicked her hand out towards him in a lazy wave.

_KLANG-KLANG-KLANG!_ The deadly missiles flew away haphazardly, embedding themselves all over the yard.

Cid finished the spin of the lance and then planted it in the ground, glaring at Yuffie murderously. "I thought I told you no!" he bellowed. "What if one of those had hit you?"

"Oh shut up. I almost got you that time," Yuffie laughed, flipping her last remaining knife over her knuckles. "Besides, I'm not that slow yet!" she added with a small pout.

Cid dropped the lance and crossed over to her in two quick strides, gathering her in his arms and roughly knocking the throwing knife out of her fingers. "I ain't jokin' about this, Yuffie. No practice, no sparrin', and…" his eyes drifted to the porch and back. "No coffee, not till you're done squeezin' the little brat out."

"Humpf," Yuffie replied, though she let him wrap his arms around her. "I haven't even started bloating up like a balloon yet. And should you really be calling your own kid a little brat? Think of the trauma!"

"No jokin', Yu," Cid said, dropping his chin onto her head and rocking her gently. "This ain't a dream I'm gonna give up for anythin'. So no fightin' anymore… please," he added as an afterthought.

"I don't know if I can live with nine more months of torture like this," Yuffie grumbled into his chest. She let a small smile slip over her face, though; sometimes it felt nice to be protected, even by her overbearing husband. "The things I do for you, Cid Highwind."

"Torture, eh? Well if you're so damn restless, then I guess we better do somethin' about it," he replied, sweeping her up into his arms and stepping into the house with an intent grin.

"Cid!" Yuffie yelped in delight, beating her fists against his chest as he carried her back towards the bedroom. "Put me down! You forgot your lance! What about Shera? You're still wearing your boots!"

"Christ, will you just forget the fuckin' shoes already!" Cid yelled before silencing her with a passionate kiss. As he pulled away, she leaned back and smiled at him, full sunshine and air and cheer and _life_, and he shook his head in amazement.

_No, it ain't like I planned at all,_ he thought to himself with satisfaction.

… they never did make it to the bedroom.


End file.
